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10 December, 22:00

An astronaut lands on a new planet. The new planet's mass is half that of the

Earth and the new planet's radius is half that of the Earth. If he weighs 500 N on

Earth, what will the force of gravity be on him on the new planet?

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  1. 11 December, 00:27
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    Ah hah! Very nice problem.

    - - Since the mass is 1/2 of the Earth's mass, the gravitational forces between him

    and the new planet would be 1/2 of what they are on Earth.

    - - Since the distance between him and the center of the new planet is 1/2 of the

    distance between him and the Earth's center, the gravitational forces between him

    and the new planet would be (2) ² = 4 times what they are on Earth.

    - - These conditions combine to make his weight (1/2) x (4) = 2 times his earth weight.

    - - He weighs 1,000 N (about 224.8 pounds) on the new planet.

    (Maybe that's why they selected an astronaut for this mission who only weighs

    about 112.5 pounds on Earth.)
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