Question

An astronaut exploring a distant solar system lands on an unnamed planet with a radius of 2530 km. When the astronaut jumps upward with an initial speed of 4.29 m/s, she rises to a height of 0.64 m. What is the mass of the planet? kg?

Answer 1

Answer:

1.38*10^18 kg

Explanation:

According to the Newton's law of universal gravitation:

$F=G*\frac{m_a*m_p}{r^2}$

where:

G= Gravitational constant (6.674×10−11 N · (m/kg)2)

ma= mass of the astronaut

mp= mass of the planet

$F=m_a.a\\(v_f )^2=(v_o)^2+2.a.\Delta y\\\\a=\frac{(v_f)^2-(v_o)^2}{2.\Delta y}\\\\a=\frac{(0)^2-(4.29m/s)^2}{2.0.64m}=14.38m/s^2\\\\F=m_a*14.38m/s^2$

so:

$m_a*14.38m/s^2=(6.674*10^{-11}N.(m/kg)^2)*\frac{m_a.m_p}{(2.530*10^3m)^2}\\m_p=\frac{14.38m/s^2(2.530*10^3m)^2}{(6.674*10^{-11}N.(m/kg)^2)}\\\\m_p=1.38*10^{18}kg$