In the future, astronouts are on a distant moon that is 670.6 Km in diameter. While there, they observe that a 2.0m long pendulum takes 5.701 times longer than the pendulum did when it was back on earth. What is the mass of the moon.
Gravitational constant = G = 6.67 x 10-11 N.m2/kg2
Gravitational acceleration on Earth = g1 = 9.81 m/s2
Gravitational acceleration on the moon = g2
Length of the pendulum = L = 2 m
Time period of the pendulum on Earth = T1
Time period of the pendulum on the moon = T2
The time period on the moon is 5.701 times longer than on Earth.
T2 = 5.701T1
Squaring both sides,
g2 = 0.302 m/s2
Diameter of the moon = D = 670.6 km
Radius of the moon = R = D/2 = 670.6/2 = 335.3 km = 335.3 x 103 m
Mass of the moon = M
M = 5.09 x 1020 kg
Mass of the moon = 5.09 x 1020 kg
Get Answers For Free
Most questions answered within 1 hours.