An astronaut goes out for a "space-walk" at a distance above the earth equal to the radius of the earth. What is her acceleration due to gravity at that point?
A) g
B) g/4
C) g/2
D) zero
E) $g / \sqrt { 2 }$

Question

An astronaut goes out for a "space-walk" at a distance above the earth equal to the radius of the earth. What is her acceleration due to gravity at that point?
A)  g 
B)  g/4 
C)  g/2 
D) zero
E) $g / \sqrt { 2 }$

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The acceleration due to gravity decreases with the square of the distance from the center of the Earth. At a distance equal to the Earth's radius above the surface, the distance from the center is twice the Earth's radius, so the acceleration is $g/4$.

An Astronaut Goes Out for a "Space-Walk" at a Distance g/2g / \sqrt { 2 }g/2​

An Astronaut Goes Out for a "Space-Walk" at a Distance $g / \sqrt { 2 }$