Gravity

A Universal Force

a)Until 17th century, - a heavy object would fall

faster than a light object as Aristotle once
taught.
b)After research by Galileo Galilei - if air
resistance can be ignored, all bodies fall with
an equal acceleration.
1. Newton- studied the force of gravity. He got the inspiration when
apple fell from a tree, hitting his head.
2. In Newtons opinion, the falling apple was acted on by a force of
attraction (i.e. the force of attraction due to gravity from the centre
of the earth)
3. Any object which falls only under the influence of the force of
attraction due to gravity and without any influence of other forces is
said to experience free fall.
4. All object which experience free fall will fall with the same
acceleration
(i.e. the acceleration due to gravity)
 Gravitational Field
1. The force of gravity acts through space and can
cause a body which is not in contact with any
surface to fall freely to the ground the earth is
surrounded by a gravitational field which exerts
a force on any body in the field.
2. The strength of a gravitational field the
gravitational force acting per unit mass on an
object in the field. It is denoted by the symbol g
3. On the earth, the gravitational field strength, g is
9.8 N kg-1
4. Gravitational field strength:
g = Gravitational force, F
Mass of body, M
The non-uniform gravitational field of the
Earth, g is represented by radial lines
directed towards the centre of the earth.
The field is strongest where the lines
are close.
 Example
Question :
A body of mass 2 kg has a weight of
20 N. Find the value of the
gravitational field strength
 Solution:
g= 20 N = 10 N kg-1
2 kg
 Gravitational acceleration
Mass , m Weight , w

The amount of The force of gravity

matter in the object. definition on the object.
Varies with the
The mass of an magnitude of
object is constant Changing of value gravitational field
everywhere. strength, g of the
location.

Scalar quantity Physical quantity Vector quantity

Base quantity Type of quantity Derived quantity

Kilogram, kg SI unit Newton, N

 FORMULA
Force, F = ( mass, m ) ( acceleration, a
)

Weight, w = ( mass, m ) ( gravitational

acceleration, g )
Gravitational field strengh
Gravitational field = the region in which an object
experiences a force due to gravitational attraction.

Gravitational field strength = the ratio of the weight to

the mass of the object / weight per mass / W
m

Rearrange the formula : W = ( m ) ( Gravitational field

strength )
When compared to : W = ( m ) ( g )

so : g = Gravitational acceleration
= Gravitational field strength
FREE FALLING OBJECT
Is an object falling
under the force of
gravity only
Does not encounter
other force (example :
air resistance or
friction that would
oppose its motion
The difference between a fall in air and a
free fall in a vacuum of a coin and a
feather
Problem involving F = ma W =
mg
Lift
 When aa girl
When girl stands
stands
on the
on the platform
platform of of aa
weighing scale,
weighing scale, there
there areare two
two
forces acting
forces acting onon her
her ::

b) The upward normal reaction

a) The girls weight, w(=mg) force, R exerted on her feet
Acting downwards By the platform of the scale

The reading of the scale gives the value

of the normal reaction Force, R
Different situation in
the lift

Note : when the lift is accelerating

upwards or downwards, the
reading on the scale gives the
apparent weight, which is equal to
the normal reaction force on the
feet of the girl
QUESTIONS
1 A box of mass 1.6 kg is suspended from a spring
balance hanging from the ceiling of a lift

What is the reading on the spring balace if :

(a) The lift is stationary
(b) The lift -2
moves upwards at an acceleration
of 2 ms ?
(c) The lift-2moes downwards at an acceleration
of 3ms
[take g = 10 ms-2]
 SOLUTION
(a) If the lift is stationery :
T = mg
= 1.6 x 10
= 16 N
(b) When the lift is accelerating upwards :
T1 - mg = ma
T1 = (1.6 x 10) + (1.6 x 2)
= 19.2 N
(c) When the lift is accelerating downwards :
mg T2 = ma
T2 = (1.6 x 10) (1.6 x 3)
= 11.2 N
2 The weight of a student on earths
is 450N. What is this weight on the
moon if earths gravitational
strength is six times the
gravitational strength of the moon
?
 SOLUTION
(Symbol with subscript 1 represent the situation
on earth while symbols with subscript 2 represent
the situation on the moon)
w1 = 450 N
g1 = 6g
w1 = mg
w2 = mg
w1 mg1 g1
w2 = mg2 = g2
w2 = w1g2
g1
= 450 x g2
6g2
= 75 N
3 A ball is thrown vertically upwards
with an initial velocity of 20 ms-1. If
g = 10 ms-2 and air resistance can
be neglected, find:
(a) the maximum height reached
(b) the time taken before it reaches
the ground
 SOLUTION
a)The velocity of the ball is zero when it
reaches its maximum height. The
acceleration of the ball when it is thrown
upwards is -g as it experiences a deceleration
u = 20 ms-1 v = 0 a = -10 ms-2

v2 = u2 + 2as
0 = 202 + 2(-10)s
s = 400 m
20
= 20 m
(maximum height reached = 20 m)
(b) The displacement of the ball on reaching the
ground is zero

s = ut + 1 at2
2
0 = 20 t + 1 (-10)t2
2
5 t2 - 20 t = 0
5 t (t-4) = 0
t = 0 or 4
( time taken before it reaches the ground = 4 s)