Gravitational Force Flashcard

Front

What is gravitational force?

Back

Gravitational force is the attractive force between two masses. It is described by Newton's law of universal gravitation, which states that every mass attracts every other mass with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers.

Front

What is the formula for calculating gravitational force?

Back

The formula for gravitational force (F) is F = G * (m1 * m2) / r², where G is the gravitational constant (6.67 x 10^-11 N m²/kg²), m1 and m2 are the masses of the objects, and r is the distance between the centers of the two masses.

Front

What is the value of the gravitational constant (G)?

Back

The value of the gravitational constant (G) is 6.67 x 10^-11 N m²/kg².

Front

How does the mass of an object affect gravitational force?

Back

The gravitational force is directly proportional to the mass of the objects involved. If the mass of one or both objects increases, the gravitational force between them also increases.

Front

How does distance affect gravitational force?

Back

The gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the centers of two masses. As the distance increases, the gravitational force decreases.

Front

What is centripetal acceleration?

Back

Centripetal acceleration is the acceleration directed towards the center of a circular path that keeps an object moving in that path. It is calculated using the formula a_c = v²/r, where v is the tangential velocity and r is the radius of the circular path.

Front

What is tangential velocity?

Back

Tangential velocity is the linear speed of an object moving along a circular path. It is the distance traveled per unit of time along the circumference of the circle.

Front

If the mass of Earth doubled, how would the gravitational force with the Sun change?

Back

If the mass of Earth doubled, the gravitational force between Earth and the Sun would also double, according to Newton's law of universal gravitation.

Front

What is torque?

Back

Torque is a measure of the rotational force applied to an object. It depends on the force applied, the distance from the pivot point (lever arm), and the angle at which the force is applied.

Front

How is torque calculated?

Back

Torque (τ) is calculated using the formula τ = r * F * sin(θ), where r is the distance from the pivot point to where the force is applied, F is the magnitude of the force, and θ is the angle between the force vector and the lever arm.