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Radio Show & Podcast Feedback / Jupiter gravity.
« on: 18/10/2005 19:25:44 »
I've always learned that the force of gravity on the surface of Jupiter is about 2-1/2 times what it is on the surface of Earth.
A 50 kg person "weighs" about 500 N (newtons) on Earth and would weigh about 1250 N on Jupiter.
Jupiter has about 318 times the mass of Earth and its radius is about 11 times larger.
I think your mistake is saying that one's weight is proportional to the product of the masses of the bodies (the person and the planet), but that is only half the story. According to Newton's Law of Gravity, the force of gravity between two bodies is ALSO inversely proportional to the square of the distances between their centers.
If you calculate 318/(11^2), you get about the factor of 2-1/2 I mentioned earlier. I think I am right, but please straighten me out in case I am wrong.
Love the show.
Dave
Houston, Texas
A 50 kg person "weighs" about 500 N (newtons) on Earth and would weigh about 1250 N on Jupiter.
Jupiter has about 318 times the mass of Earth and its radius is about 11 times larger.
I think your mistake is saying that one's weight is proportional to the product of the masses of the bodies (the person and the planet), but that is only half the story. According to Newton's Law of Gravity, the force of gravity between two bodies is ALSO inversely proportional to the square of the distances between their centers.
If you calculate 318/(11^2), you get about the factor of 2-1/2 I mentioned earlier. I think I am right, but please straighten me out in case I am wrong.
Love the show.
Dave
Houston, Texas