Effect of varying G and solar mass – Rankers Physics
Topic: Gravitation
Subtopic: Newton's Law of Gravitation

Effect of varying G and solar mass

If the mass of the Sun were ten times smaller and the universal gravitational constant were ten times larger in magnitude, which of the following is not correct?

(2018)

Time period of a simple pendulum on the Earth would decrease
Walking on the ground would become more difficult
Raindrops will fall faster
'$g$' on the Earth will not change

Solution:

The value of acceleration due to gravity on Earth is $g = \frac{GM}{R^2}$. If $G$ increases by $10$ times, $g$ also increases by $10$ times since it depends on the mass of the Earth, not the Sun. Hence, the statement that '$g$' will not change is incorrect.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *