Gravitation short 1 Flashcards
What is Centripetal force ?
The force that causes an acceleration and keeps a body moving along a circular path, acting towards the center is called centripetal force
What is G ?
G is the constant of proportionality and is called the universal gravitation constant.
Who found the value of G ?
Henry Cavendish
What is the importance of the universal law of gravitation ?
The law explained —
(i) the force that binds us to the earth.
(ii) the motion of the moon around the earth.
(iii) the motion of planets around the Sun.
(iv) the tides due to the moon and the Sun.
What is free fall ?
Whenever objects fall towards the earth under gravitational force alone we say that the objects are in free fall
What is acceleration due to gravity ?
Acceleration due to the earth’s gravitational force is called acceleration due to gravity. It is denoted by g. The unit of g is is, m s^–2
Give a note on mass ?
The mass of an object is the measure of its inertia. The greater the mass the greater the inertia. The mass of an object is constant.
What is weight ?
The weight of an object is the force with which it is attracted towards the earth. It is denoted be W and the SI unit is Newton.
What is density ?
The density is defined as the mass per unit volume. Objects of density less then a fluid float on it while those with more will sink.
What is the Value for G ?
The accepted value is 6.673 X 10^–11 N m^2 kg^–2
