Falling Towards A Gas Giant

An object is suspended ten billion meters from the center of a planet. The object is released and begins falling in a straight line toward the planet, whose gravity is the only force acting on the object.

How fast is the object moving when it is one hundred million meters from the center of the planet?

Details and Assumptions

  • G = 6.674 1 0 11 m 3 kg 1 s 2 G = 6.674 \cdot 10^{-11} \text{ m}^{3} \text{ kg}^{-1} \text{ s}^{-2} .
  • The planet's radius is much less than one hundred million meters.
  • The planet's mass is 1.9 1 0 27 kg 1.9 \cdot 10^{27}\text{ kg} .

Give your answer to 3 decimal places.


The answer is 50107.47.

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2 solutions

Guilherme Niedu
Jun 13, 2016

d v d t = G M r 2 \frac{dv}{dt} = -\frac{GM}{r^2}

d v d r d r d t = G M r 2 \frac{dv}{dr} \cdot \frac{dr}{dt} = -\frac{GM}{r^2}

d v d r v = G M r 2 \frac{dv}{dr} \cdot v = -\frac{GM}{r^2}

0 v v d v = 1 0 10 1 0 8 G M r 2 d r \int_{0}^{v^*} vdv = \int_{10^{10}}^{10^8} -\frac{GM}{r^2} dr

v 2 2 0 v = G M r 1 0 10 1 0 8 \frac{v^2}{2} \big|_{0}^{v^*} = \frac{GM}{r} \big|_{10^{10}}^{10^8}

v 2 2 = G M ( 1 0 8 1 0 10 ) \frac{v^{*2}}{2} = GM(10^{-8} - 10^{-10})

v = 2 6.674 1 0 11 1.9 1 0 27 ( 1 0 8 1 0 10 ) v^* = \sqrt{2 \cdot 6.674 \cdot 10^{-11} \cdot 1.9 \cdot 10^{27} \cdot (10^{-8} - 10^{-10}) }

v = 50107.47 v^* = \fbox{50107.47}

Guilherme good solution.

Brandon Stocks - 5 years ago

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Thanks Brandon

Guilherme Niedu - 5 years ago

No need to integrate...just use conservation of mechanical energy

Georgios Papachatzakis - 4 years, 6 months ago
Brandon Stocks
Jun 12, 2016

G G is the gravitational constant 6.674 1 0 11 m 3 k g 1 s 2 6.674 \cdot 10^{-11} \, m^{3} kg^{-1} s^{-2}

M M is the mass of the planet 1.9 1 0 27 k g 1.9 \cdot 10^{27}kg

L L is the initial distance of the object from the center of the planet 1 0 10 m 10^{10}m

m m is the mass of the object

r r is the distance of the object from the center of the planet at any given time

K K is the kinetic energy of the object

v v is the speed of the object

.

Since gravity is the only force acting on the object, the kinetic energy of the object at any position is equal to the work done on the object by gravity in moving it to that position. The gravitational force acting on the object is

F = G M m / r 2 F = GMm/r^{2}

The gravity varies greatly over the distance L, so you have to go back to the definition of work. As an object moves along a path S the work done on the object by a force F is the integral over S of the scalar product F d x F \cdot dx , where dx is the differential of the displacement vector.

W = S F d x W = \int_S F \cdot dx

In our case the gravity and displacement vectors point in the same direction so the scalar product is simply F dx, and dx = -dr. So we can write work as

W = L r G M m r 2 d r = G M m r 1 L r = G M m ( r 1 L 1 ) = K W = -\int_L^r GMmr^{-2} \, dr = GMmr^{-1}|_L^r = GMm(r^{-1} - L^{-1}) = K

Instead of using a dummy variable I just re-used r r . I integrated from position L L down to a lower position r r . Now I have the kinetic energy K. I also know kinetic energy is one-half the mass times the square of the speed.

K = 1 2 m v 2 = G M m ( r 1 L 1 ) , v 2 = 2 G M ( r 1 L 1 ) K = \frac{1}{2} mv^{2} = GMm(r^{-1} - L^{-1}), \; \; \; \; v^{2} = 2GM(r^{-1} - L^{-1})

v = 2 G M ( r 1 L 1 ) v = \sqrt{2GM(r^{-1} - L^{-1})}

When r r is set equal to 1 0 8 m 10^{8}m you get

v = 50 , 107.47 m / s v = 50,107.47 \:m/s

You dont have to integrate:) Just use the formula for the free fall: v=(2g×s)^1/2

And substitute g with G*=G×M/r^2

Klapp Stuhl - 5 years ago

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Klapp what does s s represent? Where does this come from?

Brandon Stocks - 5 years ago

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Well, since v = 2 G M L r × ( L r ) v \; = \; \sqrt{\frac{2GM}{Lr} \times (L-r)} you could get away with using the SUVAT formula v = 2 a s v = \sqrt{2as} with v v being the final velocity from rest after travelling distance s = L r s=L-r under constant acceleration a = G M L r a = \frac{GM}{Lr} , but this is kind of accidental.

Is 7 7 SF of accuracy reasonable, since L L and r r are only given to 1 1 SF, and G G and M M to 4 4 and 2 2 SF respectively?

Mark Hennings - 5 years ago

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@Mark Hennings Acceleration is not constant in this situation. The acceleration, g g , is ten thousand times greater at r = 1 0 8 m r = 10^{8}m than it is at r = 1 0 10 m r = 10^{10}m . What you have discovered is that the average value of g g over [ L , R ] [L,R] is equal to G M L R \frac{GM}{LR} . Note that this average is over the position-interval [ L , R ] [L,R] and not over the corresponding time-interval. It might seem strange but mathematically they are two different averages. You still have to use calculus to find that the average is G M L R \frac{GM}{LR} .

Brandon Stocks - 5 years ago

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@Brandon Stocks I think you missed my use of the word artificial . You could use the SUVAT formula if you had some idea of average acceleration, but you could only know how to determine the correct average acceleration if you had done the calculus.

Mark Hennings - 5 years ago

Bro nice solution and problem . Make the next part and ask time taken by body . That will Involve more calculus! :)

Prakhar Bindal - 5 years ago

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@Prakhar Bindal If I do I will link it to you. I have it worked out on paper. Its just the typing it all out.

Brandon Stocks - 4 years, 12 months ago

@Prakhar Bindal Prakhar alright I posted the question of time and its solution.

Brandon Stocks - 4 years, 11 months ago

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@Brandon Stocks Sure will give it a try!

Prakhar Bindal - 4 years, 11 months ago

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