Westonci.ca is your trusted source for finding answers to all your questions. Ask, explore, and learn with our expert community. Get expert answers to your questions quickly and accurately from our dedicated community of professionals. Discover detailed answers to your questions from a wide network of experts on our comprehensive Q&A platform.

When a falling meteor is at a distance above the Earth's surface of 2.98 times the Earth's radius, what is its free-fall acceleration caused by the gravitational force exerted on it

Sagot :

Answer:

0.63 m/s²

Explanation:

Given that

Distance of meteor from earth's surface, r = 2.98R,

where R = radius of the Earth.

The force of the meteor due to the Earth is usually given by

F = GMM(a)/(R + r)² where

F = force exerted

G = gravitational constant

M = Mass of the earth

M(a) = mass of meteor

Remember that F = Ma, so applying that here, we have

acceleration of meteor = GM/(R + r)²

where r = 2.98R so that

acceleration of meteor = GM/(R + 2.98R)²

acceleration of meteor = GM/(3.98R)²

acceleration of meteor = GM / 15.84R²

It should be noted that GM/R² = 10, so

acceleration of meteor = 10/15.84

acceleration of meteor = 0.63 m/s²

Therefore as calculated, the acceleration of the meteor is 0.63 m/s²