Gravitational Field
Definition
The gravitational field is the region of space around an object where another object experiences a force due to gravity. It represents the influence that a mass has on other masses in its vicinity.
Analogy
Imagine a popular student in school who has a strong influence on their peers. The gravitational field is like that popular student, and the other objects are like the students who feel their influence. The stronger the popularity (gravitational field), the more impact it has on others.
Related terms
Gravitational Mass: Gravitational mass refers to the measure of an object's response to gravitational forces. It determines how strongly an object interacts with other objects through gravity.
Inertial Mass: Inertial mass refers to an object's resistance to changes in motion when subjected to external forces. It determines how difficult it is to accelerate or decelerate an object.
Force of Gravity: The force of gravity is the attractive force between two objects with mass. It pulls objects towards each other and depends on their masses and distance between them.
"Gravitational Field" appears in:
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Practice Questions (6)
True or False: "For a simple pendulum, the period increases with the length of the pendulum and decreases with the magnitude of the gravitational field."
If the gravitational field changes, which factor won't change?
The gravitational field cause by a spherically symmetric object is a vector whose magnitude outside the object is equal to
What is the gravitational field on planet X if it has a mass of 1000 kg and a diameter of 500 m?
What is the radius of a planet if its gravitational field is 7 m/s^2 and has a mass of 1000 x 10^15 kg
What is the gravitational field on planet Y if it has a mass of 12000 kg and a radius of 1500 m?
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