What is the acceleration on the moon?
Bulk parameters
| Moon | Earth | |
|---|---|---|
| Mean density (kg/m3) | 3344 | 5514 |
| Surface gravity (m/s2) | 1.62 | 9.80 |
| Surface acceleration (m/s2) | 1.62 | 9.78 |
| Escape velocity (km/s) | 2.38 | 11.2 |
Does the Moon experience centripetal acceleration?
The centripetal acceleration of the moon is v2/r. Details of the calculation: (a) The distance the moon travels in 27.3 days is d = 2πr = 2.41*109 m. Its speed is v = d/(27.3 days) = (d/(2.36*106 s)) = 1023 m/s.
What would happen if the moon has no centripetal force?
The moon is attracted towards the earth due to the gravitational force exerted by the earth on the moon. In absence of centripetal force, the moon will not be able to follow a circular path and would move in a straight line tangential to the orbit of the moon.
Why is there a centripetal force on the moon?
If there were no force of gravity then the moon would tend to travel in a straight line. With gravity providing a centripetal force, that path is curved towards the Earth, resulting in a roughly circular orbit. In essence the moon is in continuous freefall towards the Earth.
What is the acceleration of Earth?
It was learned in the previous part of this lesson that a free-falling object is an object that is falling under the sole influence of gravity. A free-falling object has an acceleration of 9.8 m/s/s, downward (on Earth). The numerical value for the acceleration of gravity is most accurately known as 9.8 m/s/s.
Is G constant everywhere?
Gravity is often assumed to be the same everywhere on Earth, but it varies because the planet is not perfectly spherical or uniformly dense. In addition, gravity is weaker at the equator due to centrifugal forces produced by the planet’s rotation.