Suppose a planet exists that has half the mass of Earth and half its radius.On the surface of that planet,the acceleration due to gravity is
A)twice that on Earth.
B)the same as that on Earth.
C)half that on Earth.
D)one-fourth that on Earth.
E)none of these.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The acceleration due to gravity on the surface of a planet is given by the formula g = G (M/R^2), where G is the universal gravitational constant, M is the mass of the planet, and R is its radius. Since this planet has half the mass and half the radius of Earth, its acceleration due to gravity would be g = G ((1/2)M/(1/2R)^2) = G (M/R^2) x 2. This means that the acceleration due to gravity on this planet would be twice that on Earth.

Suppose a Planet Exists That Has Half the Mass of Earth