Ask Question
3 May, 13:45

An astronaut is in equilibrium when he is positioned 140 km from planet X and 581 km from planey Y, along the straight line joining the planets' centers. What is the ration of the masses X/Y? I know the answer is 0.0581, I just do not know how to solve it.

+3
Answers (1)
  1. 3 May, 14:14
    0
    Well, yeah, sometimes we have that weird feeling that our guts know the answer but we don't know why. Let me show you how I got mine.

    Gravitational force obeys an inverse square law - as in the gravitational force depends on the distance as F = GMm / r ²

    Small m is the mass of astronaut, M the planet, etc. equate the two forces to have the astronaut in equilibrium. G, m cancel, then arrange to get the Mass ratio: Mx / My = 140 ²/581²
Know the Answer?
Not Sure About the Answer?
Find an answer to your question ✅ “An astronaut is in equilibrium when he is positioned 140 km from planet X and 581 km from planey Y, along the straight line joining the ...” in 📘 Mathematics if you're in doubt about the correctness of the answers or there's no answer, then try to use the smart search and find answers to the similar questions.
Search for Other Answers