NOTES- Chapter 10: Gravitation

Introduction:
Gravity is the force with which the earth attracts a body towards its centre.

Gravitation
Gravitation is the force of attraction between two objects in the universe. Gravitation may be the
attraction of objects by the earth.

Newton's Observations
 Why does Apple fall on Earth from a tree? – Because the earth attracts it towards itself.
 Can Apple attract the earth? - Yes. It also attracts the earth as per Newton's third law (every action
has an equal and opposite reaction). But the mass of the earth is much larger than Apple's mass
thus the force applied by Apple appears negligible and Earth never moves towards it.
 Newton thus suggested that all objects in this universe attract each other. This force of attraction is
called Gravitational Force.

Figure1 Gravitational Force of Earth

GRAVITATION
Gravitation is the force of attraction between two objects in the universe. Gravitation may be the
attraction of objects by the earth.

This force is proportional to the product of masses of the objects and inversely proportional to the
square of the distance between them. It is independent of medium.

Gravitational force=

Eg :- If a body is dropped from a certain height, it falls downwards due to earth’s gravity. If a body is
thrown upwards, it reaches a certain height and then falls downwards due to the earth’s gravity.
 Gravitation may be the attraction between objects in outer space.
Eg :- Attraction between the earth and moon.
Attraction between the sun and planets.

GRAVITY
 A natural force that pulls all objects toward the center of the earth
 keeps the moon orbiting
  It holds stars together . . .
 And binds galaxies together for billions of years ….Prevents Planets from losing their
atmospheres.

UNIVERSAL LAW OF GRAVITATION BY NEWTON

The universal law of gravitation states that, ‘Every object in the universe attracts every other object
with a force which is directly proportional to product of the masses and inversely proportional to the
square of the distance between them.’
 According to the universal law of gravitation, every object attracts every other object with a force.
 This force is directly proportional to the product of their masses.
 This force is inversely proportional to the square of distances between them.
 Consider the figure given below. It depicts the force of attraction between two objects with masses
m1 and m2 respectively that are ‘d’ distance apart.

 The figure below describes how the universal law of gravitation is derived mathematically.

From the above equation we can rewrite them as the following:

If we remove the proportionality we get proportionality constant G as the following:

The above equation is the mathematical representation of Newton’s universal Law of

gravitation
Hence, G = Fr2/ m1 m2

 Value of G = 6.673 × 10-11 Nm2 kg-2 (was found out by Henry Cavendish (1731- 1810))
 The proportionality constant G is also known as the Universal Gravitational Constant
 The SI unit of G is and its value is
-11 2 -2
G = 6.673 × 10 Nm kg (was found out by Henry Cavendish (1731- 1810))
 The strength of the gravitational attraction between two objects depends on two factors:
 How big the objects are (how much mass they have) and
  How far apart they are.
Importance of The Universal Law of Gravitation
 It binds us to the earth.
 It is responsible for the motion of the moon around the earth.
 It is responsible for the motion of planets around the Sun.
 Gravitational force of moon causes tides in seas on earth.

The Moon’s Falling – Moon’s revolution around Earth

The moon revolves around the Earth due to centripetal force, which is the force of gravity of the
Earth. If the force of attraction between the Earth and moon ceases, then the moon will continue to
travel in a straight line path tangential to its orbit around the Earth.

Free Fall: When an object falls from any height under the influence of gravitational force only, it is
known as free fall.

Acceleration due to gravity – Whenever an object falls towards the Earth there is an acceleration
associated with the movement of the object. This acceleration is called acceleration due to gravity.
 Denoted by: g
 SI Unit: m s-2
 We know that, F= ma
 Therefore, F = mg
 The following figure demonstrates the mathematical derivation of ‘g'
The force (F) of gravitational attraction on a body of mass m due to earth of mass M and radius R is
given by

We know from Newton’s second law of motion that the force is the product of mass and acceleration.
∴ F = ma
But the acceleration due to gravity is represented by the symbol g. Therefore, we can write
F = mg ….. (2)
From the equation (1) and (2), we get

When body is at a distance ‘r’ from the centre of the earth then
 Value of ‘g' may vary at different parts of the earth –
 From the equation g = GM/ r2 it is clear that the value of ‘g' depends upon the distance of the
object from the earth's centre.
 This is because the shape of the earth is not a perfect sphere. It is rather flattened at poles and
bulged out at the equator.
 Hence, the value of ‘g' is greater at the poles and lesser at the equator. However, for our
convenience, we take a constant value of ‘g' throughout.

We can find the value of acceleration due to gravity by the following –

Motion of Objects Under the Influence of Gravitational Force of the Earth

Let an object is falling towards earth with initial velocity u. Let its velocity, under the effect of
gravitational acceleration g, changes to v after covering the height h in time t.
The motion of objects under the influence of gravity ‘g’ does not depend on the mass of the body. All
objects small, big, heavy, light, hollow or solid fall at the same rate.

The three equation of motion viz.

Value of ‘g' is same on the earth, so the equations of motion for an object with uniform motion are
valid where acceleration ‘a' is replaced by ‘g', as given under:
v = u + gt
s = ut + (1/2) gt2
2 g s = v2 – u2
When an object at rest falls towards earth – its initial velocity is zero
v = gt
s = t + (1/2) gt2
 2 g s = v2
When an object with some initial velocity (u) falls towards earth –
v = u + gt
s = ut + (1/2) gt2
2 g s = v2 – u2
When an object is thrown upwards from earth – the gravitational force acts in opposite
direction, hence g is negative
v = u - gt
s = ut - (1/2) gt2
-2 g s = v2 – u2

The value of g is taken as positive in case of the object is moving towards earth and taken as negative
in case of the object is thrown in opposite direction of the earth.
If an object is just let fall from a height then in that as u = 0 and a = g = 9.8 m/s-2.

If an object is projected vertically upward with an initial velocity u, then a = – g = – 9.8 ms -2 and the
object will go to a maximum height h where its final velocity becomes zero (i.e., v = 0).

Difference between Gravitation Constant (G) and Gravitational Acceleration (g)

S. Gravitational acceleration
Gravitation Constant (G)
No. (g)
1. Its value is 6.67×10-11Nm2/kg2. Its value is 9.8 m/s2.
2. It is a scalar quantity. It is a vactor quantity.
3. Its value remains constant Its value varies at various
always and everywhere. places.
4. Its unit is Nm2/kg2. Its unit is m/s2.

Mass & weight

Mass (m):
 The mass of a body is the quantity of matter contained in it.
 Mass is a fundamental, universal property. You have the same amount of mass no matter
where you are in the Universe.
 Mass is a scalar quantity which has only magnitude but no direction.
 Mass of a body always remains constant and does not change from place to place.
 SI unit of mass is kilogram (kg).
 Mass of a body can never be zero.

Weight (W)
 Weight is not fundamental its value depends on circumstances in the Universe. Weight is a
force. It is the resultant gravitational force exerted on a body with mass m by all the other
bodies on the Universe.

  The force with which an object is attracted towards the centre of the earth, is called the
weight of the object.
Now, Force = m × a

∴F=m×g
But in case of earth, a = g

∴ W = mg
But the force of attraction of earth on an object is called its weight (W).

 As weight always acts vertically downwards, therefore, weight has both magnitude and
direction and thus it is a vector quantity.
 The weight of a body changes from place to place, depending on mass of object.
 The SI unit of weight is Newton.
 Weight of the object becomes zero if g is zero.

Difference between Universal gravitational Constant and Acceleration due to Gravity

Mass Weight

Mass is defined as the quantity of matter in an The weight of an object is the force by which the
object. gravitational pull of earth attracts the object.
Mass is a scalar quantity Weight is a vector quantity
The mass of an object is always constant as it The weight of an object can vary at different
depends upon the inertia of the object locations because of change in gravitational force of
the earth
Mass can never be zero Weight can be zero at places there is no
gravitational force
Denoted as: m Denoted as W
F = mg
where m = mass of object
a = acceleration due to gravity
Similarly, W is force, so
W = mg
SI Unit: kg SI unit: N

Weight of an Object on the Surface of Moon

Mass of an object is same on earth as well as on moon. But weight is different.
Weight of an object is given as,
Hence, weight of the object on the moon = (1/6) × its weight on the earth.

Thrust and Pressure

Thrust
 The force that acts in the perpendicular direction is called thrust.
 It is similar to force applied to an object
 It is a vector quantity.
 Thrust is the force acting on an object perpendicular to the surface.

Pressure
 The force that acts per unit area of the object is pressure.
 It is the thrust per unit area.
 Pressure is denoted by ‘P'
 P = thrust/ area = force/ area = F/A
 SI unit: N/m2 or Pa (Pascal)

Figure 4 Pressure
Why do nails have sharp edges?
We know that pressure is inversely proportional to area. As area increases, pressure decreases and
vice versa. So, nails' sharp edges make it easier for them to get into the wall because more pressure is
exerted on the wall from a single point.
Pressure In Solids - They exert pressure on the surface because of their weight.
Pressure In Fluids
 Fluids exert pressure in all directions
 Pressure exerted on fluids is transmitted equally in all directions.
 They also have weight, therefore, they exert pressure on the surface and the walls of the
container in which they are put in.

Buoyancy
 Whenever an object is immersed in a liquid, the liquid exerts a buoyant force or upthrust in the
opposite direction of the gravitational force. This is also called the Force of Buoyancy.
 It depends upon the density of the fluid.
 Therefore an object is able to float in water when the gravitational force is less than the buoyant
force.
 Similarly, an object sinks into the water when the gravitational force is larger than the buoyant
force.

Figure 5 Buoyancy
Why does an object sink or float on water?
 An object can sink or float on water based on its density with respect to water. The density is
defined as mass per unit volume.
 Objects having a density less than water float in it. For Example, Cork flows in water because its
density is lower than that of water.
 Objects that have a density higher than water sink in it. For Example, Iron nail sinks in water
because the density of iron is more than water's density.
 Thus, we can conclude that buoyancy depends upon:
 The density of the liquid
 The volume of the object (as the volume of object increases, its density decreases and vice-
versa)
Why objects float or sink when placed on the surface of water?
 Take some water in a beaker. Take a piece of cork and an iron nail of the same mass. Place
them on the water. The cork floats and the nail sinks.
 If the density of an object is less than the density of a liquid, it will float on the liquid and if
the density of an object is more than the density of a liquid, it will sink in the liquid.

Archimedes Principle
According to the Archimedes principle, whenever an object is immersed in a liquid (fully or
partially), the liquid exerts an upward force upon the object. The amount of that force is equivalent to
the weight of the liquid displaced by the object.
This means that if the weight of an object is greater than the amount of liquid it displaces, the object
will sink into the liquid. However, if the weight of an object is less than the amount of water it
displaces, the object will sink.

 Submarines have a tank called Buoyancy Tank. Whenever the submarine needs to be taken inside
water the tank is filled which thus increases the weight of the submarine. Similarly, when the
submarine is to appear above water the tank is emptied and the weight of the submarine becomes
lighter and it rises above the water.
 Ships are heavier than water but their unique shape gives them a large volume. Their volume is
larger than their weight and hence the water displaced by a ship provides it with the right upthrust
so that it can float on water.
Applications of Archimedes Principle
 In evaluating relative density
 In designing ships and submarines
 In making lactometers and hydrometers
What is relative density?
When density can be expressed in comparison with water's density it is called Relative Density. It
has no unit because it is a ratio of two similar quantities.

Why water is chosen as a reference?

Water is present everywhere on earth so it becomes easier to evaluate the density of a substance in
relation to water.
How relative density can be used as a measure to determine in an object will sink or float in
water?
Relative Density of an object Float / Sink

Greater than 1 Sink in water

Less than 1 Float in water