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WORKSHEET(GRAVITATION)
Class 11 - Physics

1. Satellites orbiting the earth have a finite life and sometimes debris of satellites fall to the earth. This is because, [1]

a) of viscous forces causing the speed of the b) the solar cells and batteries in satellites run
satellite and hence height to gradually out.
decrease.

c) of collisions with other satellites. d) the laws of gravitation predict a trajectory

spiralling inwards.
2. Different points in the earth are at slightly different distances from the sun and hence experience different forces [1]
due to gravitation. For a rigid body, we know that if various forces act at various points in it, the resultant motion
is as if a net force acts on the c.m. (centre of mass) causing translation and net torque at the c.m. causing rotation
around an axis through the c.m. For the earth-sun system (approximating the earth as a uniform density sphere)

a) the torque is zero b) the torque causes the earth to spin

c) the rigid body result is not applicable since d) the torque causes the earth to move around
the earth is not even approximately a rigid the sun
body
3. The earth is an approximate sphere. If the interior contained matter which is not of the same density everywhere, [1]
then on the surface of the earth, the acceleration due to gravity

a) will be directed towards the centre but not b) cannot be zero at any point.
the same everywhere.

c) will have the same value everywhere but not d) will be same everywhere in magnitude
directed towards the centre. directed towards the centre.
4. In our solar system, the inter-planetary region has chunks of matter (much smaller in size compared to planets) [1]
called asteroids. They

a) will move in orbits like planets and obey b) will move in an irregular way because of
Kepler’s laws their small masses and will drift away into
outer space.

c) will move around the sun in closed orbits d) will not move around the sun since they
but not obey Kepler’s laws. have very small masses compared to sun.
5. As observed from earth, the sun appears to move in an approximate circular orbit. For the motion of another [1]
planet like mercury as observed from earth, this would

a) not be true because the major gravitational b) not be true because mercury is influenced
force on mercury is due to sun by forces other than gravitational forces

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 c) be similarly true d) not be true because the force between earth
and mercury is not inverse square law
6. Both earth and moon are subject to the gravitational force of the sun. As observed from the sun, the orbit of the [1]
moon

a) will be elliptical b) is not elliptical but will necessarily be a

closed curve

c) deviates considerably from being elliptical d) will not be strictly elliptical because the
due to influence of planets other than earth total gravitational force on it is not central
7. For the below problem, the direction of the gravitational intensity at an arbitrary point P is indicated by the [1]
arrow

a) d b) e

c) f d) g

8. Weighing the Earth: You are given the following data: g = 9.81 ms-2, RE = 6.37 × 106 m, the distance to the [2]

moon R = 3.84 × 108 m, and the time period of the moon’s revolution is 27.3 days. Obtain the mass of the Earth
ME in two different ways.

9. Which of the following symptoms is likely to affect an astronaut in space [2]

a. swollen feet
b. swollen face
c. headache
d. Orientational problem
10. Suppose there existed a planet that went around the sun twice as fast as the earth. What would be its orbital size [2]
as compared to that of the earth?
11. The escape speed of a projectile on the earth’s surface is 11.2 km/s. A body is projected out with thrice this [2]
speed. What is the speed of the body far away from the earth? Ignore the presence of the sun and other planets.
12. Express the constant k in equation T2 = k(R + h)3 in days and kilometres. Given, k = 10-13 s2/m3. The moon is at [2]

a distance of 3.84 × 105 km from the earth. Obtain its time period of revolution in days.
13. A 400 kg satellite is in a circular orbit of radius 2RE about the Earth. How much energy is required to transfer it [2]
to a circular orbit of radius 4RE? What are the changes in the kinetic and potential energies?
14. A body weighs 63 N on the surface of the earth. What is the gravitational force on it due to the earth at a height [2]
equal to half the radius of the earth?
15. An astronaut inside a small space ship orbiting around the earth cannot detect gravity. If the space station [2]
orbiting around the earth has a large size, can he hope to detect gravity?
16. Two heavy spheres each of mass 100 kg and radius 0.10 m are placed 1.0 m apart on a horizontal table. What is [2]
the gravitational force and potential at the midpoint of the line joining the centres of the spheres? Is an object
placed at that point in equilibrium? If so, is the equilibrium stable or unstable?

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17. Find the potential energy of a system of four particles placed at the vertices of a square of side l. Also, obtain the [2]
potential at the centre of the square.
18. Does the escape speed of a body from the earth depend on [2]
i. mass of the body
ii. the location from where it is projected
iii. the direction of projection
iv. the height of the location from where the body is launched?
19. The gravitational force between a hollow spherical shell (of radius R and uniform density) and a point mass is F. [2]
Show the nature of F versus r graph where r is the distance of the point from the centre of the hollow spherical
shell of uniform density.
20. Mean solar day is the time interval between two successive noon when the sun passes through the zenith point [2]
(meridian). The sidereal day is the time interval between two successive transit of a distant star through the
zenith point (meridian).

In drawing appropriate diagram showing earth’s spin and orbital motion, show that the mean solar day is four
minutes longer than the sidereal day. In other words, distant stars would rise 4 minutes early every successive
day.
[Hint: you may assume a circular orbit for the earth.]
21. Out of aphelion and perihelion, where is the speed of the earth more and why? [2]
22. Draw areal velocity versus time graph for mars. [2]
23. Choose the correct alternative: [3]
i. If the zero of potential energy is at infinity, the total energy of an orbiting satellite is negative of its
kinetic/potential energy.
ii. The energy required to launch an orbiting satellite out of earth's gravitational influence is more/less than the
energy required to project a stationary object at the same height (as the satellite) out of earth's influence.
24. Two uniform solid spheres of equal radii R, but mass M and 4M have a centre to centre separation 6R, as shown [3]
in Fig. The two spheres are held fixed. A projectile of mass m is projected from the surface of the sphere of mass
M directly towards the centre of the second sphere. Obtain an expression for the minimum speed v of the
projectile so that it reaches the surface of the second sphere.

25. How will you weigh the sun, that is estimate its mass? The mean orbital radius of the earth around the sun is [3]
1.5 × 10
8
km.
26. Let the speed of the planet at perihelion P in fig be vp and Sun planet distance SP be rp. Relate (rp, vp) to the [3]

corresponding quantities at the aphelion (rA, vA). Will the planet take equal times to traverse BAC and CPB?

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27. The planet Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos. [3]

a. Phobos has a period 7h, 39 min and an orbital radius of 9.4 × 103 km. Calculate the mass of mars.
b. Assume that earth and mars move in circular orbits around the sun with the Martian orbit being 1.52 times
the orbital radius of the earth. What is the length of the Martian year in days?
28. A satellite orbits the earth at a height of 400 km above the surface. How much energy must be expended to [3]
rocket the satellite out of the earth's gravitational influence? Mass of the satellite = 200 kg; mass of the earth =
kg; radius of the earth = 6.4 × 10 m; G = 6.67 × 10 .
24 6 −11 2 −2
6.0 × 10 Nm kg

29. Three equal masses of m kg each are fixed at the vertices of an equilateral triangle ABC (in the figure) [3]

i. What is the force acting on a mass 2 m placed at the centroid G of the triangle?
ii. What is the force, if the mass at vertex A is doubled? (Take, AG = BG = CG = 1 m)
30. A Saturn year is 29.5 times the earth year. How far is the Saturn from the sun if the earth is 1.50 × 10 km away [3]
8

from the sun?

31. Assuming the earth to be a sphere of uniform mass density, how much would body weigh halfway down to the [3]
centre of the earth if it weighted 250 N on the surface?
32. A comet orbits the sun in highly elliptical orbit. Does the comet has a constant [3]
i. linear speed,
ii. angular speed,
iii. angular momentum,
iv. kinetic energy,
v. potential energy and
vi. total energy throughout its orbit?
Neglect any mass loss of the comet when it comes very close to the sun.
33. Six point masses of mass m each are at the vertices of a regular hexagon of side l. Calculate the force on any of [3]
the masses.
34. A star like the sun has several bodies moving around it at different distances. Consider that all of them are [3]
moving in circular orbits. Let r be the distance of the body from the centre of the star and let its linear velocity be
v, angular velocity ω, kinetic energy K, gravitational potential energy U, total energy E and angular momentum
l. As the radius r of the orbit increases, determine which of the above quantities increase and which ones
decrease.
35. An object of mass m is raised from the surface of the earth to a height equal to the radius of the earth, it is taken [3]
from a distance R to 2R from the centre of the earth. What is the gain in its potential energy?
36. Earth’s orbit is an ellipse with eccentricity 0.0167. Thus, the earth’s distance from the sun and speed as it moves [3]
around the sun varies from day to day. This means that the length of the solar day is not constant throughout the

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 year. Assume that the earth’s spin axis is normal to its orbital plane and find out the length of the shortest and the
longest day. A day should be taken from noon to noon. Does this explain the variation of length of the day
during the year?
37. Io, one of the satellites of Jupiter, has an orbital period of 1.769 days and the radius of the orbit is 4.22 × 10 8
m . [5]
Show that the mass of Jupiter is about one-thousandth that of the sun.
38. Let us assume that our galaxy consists of 2.5 × 10 11
stars each of one solar mass. How long will a star at a [5]
distance of 50,000 ly from the galactic centre take to complete one revolution? Take the diameter of the Milky
Way to be 105 ly.
39. Two stars each of one solar mass =2 × 10 30
kg are approaching towards each other for collision. When they are [5]

at a distance of 109 km, their speeds are negligible. What is the speed with which they collide? The radius of
each star is 104 km. Assume the stars to remain undistorted until they collide. (Use the known value of G).

40. A rocket is fired vertically with a speed of 5 km s-1 from the earth's surface. How far from the earth does the [5]
rocket go before returning to the earth? Mass of the earth = 6.0 × 10 24
kg; mean radius of the earth =
6.4 × 10
6
m; G = 6.67 × 10
−11 2
Nm k g
−2
.
41. A rocket is fired from the earth towards the sun. At what distance from the earth's centre is the gravitational [5]
force on the rocket zero? Mass of the sun = 2 × 10 30
kg, mass of the earth = 6 × 10 24
kg. Neglect the effect of
other planets etc. (orbital radius = 1.5 × 10 11
m).
42. A mass m is placed at P, a distance h along the normal through the centre O of a thin circular ring of mass M and [5]
radius r (Figure).

If the mass m is removed further away such that OP becomes 2h, by what factor the force of gravitation will
decrease, if h = r?
43. A satellite is in an elliptic orbit around the earth with aphelion of 6R and perihelion of 2R where R= 6400 km is [5]
the radius of the earth. Find eccentricity of the orbit. Find the velocity of the satellite at apogee and perigee.
What should be done if this satellite has to be transferred to a circular orbit of radius 6R? [G = 6.67 × 10–11 SI

units and M = 6 × 1024 kg]

44. Show the nature of the following graph for a satellite orbiting the earth. [5]

i. K.E. versus orbital radius R.

ii. P.E. versus orbital radius R.
iii. T.E. versus orbital radius R.

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