Fundamentals of Physics Extended (10th Edition)

Published by Wiley
ISBN 10: 1-11823-072-8
ISBN 13: 978-1-11823-072-5

Chapter 13 - Gravitation - Questions - Page 378: 8a

Answer

We can rank the planets according to mass: $1 = 2 \gt 3 = 4$

Work Step by Step

We can write an expression for $a_g$ when $r$ is equal to or greater than a planet's radius: $a_g = \frac{G~M}{r^2},~~~~$ where $M$ is a planet's mass On the graph given in the question, we can consider $a_g$ of each planet at the point $r = R_4$ Since $a_g$ is greater for planets 1 and 2 then planets 3 and 4, the mass of planets 1 and 2 must be greater than the mass of planets 3 and 4. We can rank the planets according to mass: $1 = 2 \gt 3 = 4$
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