1
DAILY
CLASS NOTES
BPSC
GENERAL SCIENCE
Lecture – 23
Gravitation and Friction
BPSC
2
Gravitation and Friction
Gravitational Force
The force by which the earth attracts all bodies towards its centre is called gravitational
force.
Centre of Gravity
❖ The centre of gravity of a body is that point through which the entire weight of the
body acts. The centre of gravity of a body does not change with change in orientation
of the body in space.
❖ The weight of a body acts through the centre of gravity in the downward direction.
❖ Hence, a body can be brought to equilibrium by applying a force equal to its weight
in vertically upward direction through the centre of gravity.
❖ If a body is in equilibrium, it will be either at rest or in uniform motion.
⮚ If it is at rest, the equilibrium is called static equilibrium
⮚ Otherwise, it is called dynamic equilibrium.
❖ The vertical line passing through the centre of gravity of the body should pass
through the base of the body.
Newton's Law of Gravitation:
❖ The attracting force between two objects is directly proportional to the product of
their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their
centres
F = G × (m₁ × m₂) / r²
Where:
G = 6.67 × 10⁻¹¹ Nm²/kg² (gravitational constant)
Acceleration due to gravity
❖ The acceleration with which any body falls on the surface of the earth is called
acceleration due to gravity.
g = 9.8 m/s²
❖ The value of g keeps decreasing with the increase in height on the earth. This is the
reason why the value of g will be less in hilly areas like Shimla while it will be more in
Mumbai & Chennai.
❖ Similarly, the value of g keeps decreasing as we go deeper.
BPSC
3
❖ The value of g is highest at the poles.
❖ The value of g is lowest at the equator.
❖ g decreases due to rotation of Earth.
❖ g increases if the angular speed of Earth increases.
❖ If the angular speed of Earth becomes 17 times the current value, a body on the
equator becomes weightless.
❖ Acceleration due to gravity is independent of shape, size and mass of the body.
Mass and Weight
Weight = mass x gravitational acceleration
❖ Mass does not change with place but weight can change because the value of g is
variable.
❖ The weight of an object is
maximum at the poles and
minimum at the equator.
❖ The gravitational force on
the moon is 1/6 of that on
earth. This is the reason
that a person weighing 60
kg on earth weighs 10 kg
on the moon.
❖ Similarly, if a person
jumps 1 m high on the surface of the earth, then he will jump 6 m high on the
moon
S.N. Weight (W) Mass (m)
1. Gravitational force of Earth A measurement of the amount of matter
something contains
2. It is a vector quantity. It is a scalar quantity.
3. Weight varies according to places. It is constant at every place.
4. Its unit is newton. Its unit is gram or kilogram.
Note:
❖ The acceleration of a falling object does not depend on its mass.
BPSC
4
⮚ This is the reason that if a large and a small object are released simultaneously in
a vacuum, then both will reach the surface together.
⮚ But if the same two objects are released on the earth, then due to the friction
force of air, the smaller object will reach first.
Weight in lift
❖ A person riding in a lift going up will feel the weight increase.
❖ A person riding in a lift going down will feel the weight decrease.
❖ If the rope of the lift breaks, the person riding in the lift will feel the weight to be
zero.
Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion
❖ All planets move around the Sun in
elliptical orbits, with the Sun at one focus.
❖ The line joining planet to the Sun sweeps
out equal areas in equal time.
❖ Square of period of revolution is
proportional to cube of mean distance from
the Sun.
Orbital Velocity
❖ The minimum velocity required for a satellite or body to orbit a planet or star is
called Orbital Velocity.
❖ Orbital speed of a satellite is independent of its mass. Hence, satellites of different
masses revolving in orbits of the same radius have the same orbital speed.
❖ Orbital speed of a satellite depends on the radius of orbit (i.e., height of satellite from
the surface of Earth).
❖ At an altitude of 36,000 km, the gravitational force of the Earth becomes zero and
the body starts revolving around the Earth.
❖ To reach this orbit, the velocity of the body or rocket should be 8 km/second. This is
called the orbital velocity for the Earth.
❖ Geostationary satellites (communication satellites) are placed in this orbit.
⮚ The orbit of a Geo-stationary satellite is called parking orbit.
⮚ Arthur C. Clarke was the first to predict that communication satellites could be
stationed in geosynchronous orbits.
BPSC
5
Escape Velocity
❖ The minimum velocity required to take an object
out of the gravitational field of a planet or celestial
body is called Escape Velocity. If an object is
released at a speed less than this velocity, it will fall
back, but if it attains this velocity, it will be freed
from the gravity of the planet and go into space.
❖ The minimum velocity required to take an object
out of the gravitational field of the Earth should be 11.2 km/s. This is called escape
velocity for the Earth.
❖ Escape velocity is independent of mass, shape, and size of the body and its direction
of projection.
❖ For a gas to be gravitationally retained by a celestial body (like a planet or moon), its
escape velocity must be greater than the root mean square (rms) velocity of the gas
molecules.
❖ If the rms velocity of the gas molecules is higher than the escape velocity, the
molecules will have enough speed to overcome the gravitational pull and escape into
space, resulting in the absence of an atmosphere
❖ Escape velocity is also called the second cosmic velocity.
❖ Escape velocity of moon is 2.4km/s
Relation Between Orbital Velocity and Escape Velocity
❖ R = Radius of Earth
❖ Orbital velocity: V₀ = √(gR)
❖ Escape velocity: Vₑ = √(2gR)
Also,
Vₑ = √2 × V₀
❖ Escape velocity is √2 times the orbital velocity.
❖ Therefore, if the orbital velocity of a satellite is
increased to √2 times (i.e., increased by 41%), the
satellite will leave the orbit and escape.
Centripetal force and centrifugal force
❖ Centripetal force is the force that acts towards the
centre to maintain an object in circular motion.
BPSC
6
❖ Centrifugal force is the pseudo force that appears to push an object away from the
centre during circular motion.
Centripetal force = centrifugal force
Feature Centripetal Force Centrifugal Force
Direction Acts towards the centre. It is felt outwards away from the centre.
Form This is a real force. This is a pseudo force.
Reason It keeps the object in a circular It is felt due to the inertia of the object.
path.
Example ❖ Rotation of the moon around ❖ The force felt outwards by a person
the Earth. while swinging.
❖ Roads are sloped on curves to ❖ Extracting butter from milk, curd or
protect the cyclist/vehicle cream.
rider from falling on the ❖ Drying wet clothes in a washing
curve. machine.
Impulse
The product of the force acting on an object and the time of its application is called
impulse. It is equal to the change in the momentum of the object.
Impulse (J) = Force(F) x Time of application of force(t)
❖ SI unit: newton second (Ns)
❖ Example:
⮚ When a cricketer hits a ball with his bat, the force is applied for a very short time
but the speed of the ball changes rapidly.
⮚ Airbags in cars increase the duration of force applied at the time of collision, so
that the impulse remains constant but the effective force is reduced, causing less
injury.
⮚ When a nail is hit sharply with a hammer, a large force is applied for a short
time, causing the nail to sink in.
⮚ Chinawares are wrapped in paper or straw pieces while packing. In the event of
fall, impact will take a longer time to reach the glass/chinawares through paper
or straw.
⮚ An athlete is advised to come to stop slowly after finishing a fast race, so that
time to stop increases and hence force experienced by him decreases.
BPSC
7
⮚ Bogies of a train are provided with the buffers, due to which they avoid severe
jerks during shunting of the train.
Friction
❖ When an object slides or rolls over another object or surface, a force arises that
opposes the relative motion between the two surfaces in contact. This force is called
friction. In simple terms, when the surface of one body moves over another, both
bodies exert a force on each other that acts parallel to the surfaces in contact. This
opposing force is known as frictional force
❖ Types of Friction
⮚ Static Friction: Static friction is the frictional force that comes into effect between
two surfaces in contact when there is no relative motion, i.e., before actual
movement begins. This force adjusts itself according to the applied external force,
up to a certain maximum limit.
⮚ Limiting Friction
✓ Limiting friction is the maximum static friction that comes into play just
before a body starts to slide over the surface of another body.
✓ Limiting friction is independent of the area of contact. It mainly depends on
the nature (smoothness or roughness) of the surfaces in contact.
⮚ Kinetic Friction
✓ When a body is in motion over another surface, the frictional force acting
between the surfaces is called kinetic friction.
✓ Kinetic Friction is of Two Types
Type of Friction Description
Rolling Friction Occurs when one object rolls over another. This type of friction is
typically less than static or sliding friction.
Sliding Friction Arises when one surface slides over another. Sliding friction is
greater than rolling friction.
❖ Friction is called a necessary evil because, while it is essential for performing many
daily activities, it also causes energy loss and wear.
Friction is Necessary:
❖ Walking would not be possible without friction; without it, our foot would slip.
Objects would not stay in place relative to each other.
BPSC
8
❖ Brakes in vehicles work (due to friction. Fastening devices like (nuts) and bolts rely on
friction to hold machinery parts together. Writing on surfaces like paper or
blackboards would not be possible without friction.
Friction is Harmful:
❖ Friction leads to wear and tear in machinery, reducing its working life.
❖ It causes heating of surfaces in contact, which can damage mechanical parts.
Methods of Reducing Friction:
❖ Polishing Surfaces Smoother surfaces reduce -frictional resistance.
❖ Using Lubricants Grease, oil, etc., fill surface irregularities, making movement
smoother and decreasing friction.
❖ Ball Bearings - Small metal balls are placed between moving parts in machines to
convert sliding friction into rolling friction, which is much smaller.
PW Web/App: [Link]
BPSC