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11th grade Newton's law of universal gravitation worksheet

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Newton's law of universal gravitation

Grade 11 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

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Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

  1. Earth's mass is 5.9722 × 10²⁴ kg and its radius is 6371 km. With G = 6.674 × 10⁻¹¹ N·m²/kg², what is g at 400 km above the surface, to the nearest hundredth, Ari?

  2. Earth's mass is 5.9722 × 10²⁴ kg and its radius is 6371 km. With G = 6.674 × 10⁻¹¹ N·m²/kg², what is g at 6371 km above the surface, to the nearest hundredth, Bo?

  3. The distance between two bodies halves. What happens to the gravitational force, Jun?

    • It is 4 times as big
    • It halves
    • It doubles

  4. Both masses double, and the distance between them doubles too. What happens to the force, Kira?

    • It doubles
    • It is 8 times as big
    • It stays the same

  5. The distance between two bodies becomes 10 times as large. What fraction of the force is left, Luz?

    • One-hundredth
    • One-tenth
    • One-thousandth

  6. Milo says there is no gravity at a satellite's height of 400 km. Agree or disagree?

    • Agree: satellites float, so nothing pulls them
    • Agree: gravity stops in space
    • Disagree: g there is still about 8.7 N/kg

  7. Noah says Earth pulls harder on the Moon than the Moon pulls on Earth. Agree or disagree?

    • Agree: Earth is closer to the Sun
    • Disagree: the pulls are equal and opposite
    • Agree: Earth has more mass

  8. Read this first

    Earth, Mars and the Moon (NASA fact sheets)

    BodyMass (10²⁴ kg)Mean radius (km)
    Earth5.97226371
    Mars0.641693389.5
    Moon0.073461737.4

  9. Using the table, about how many times Mars's mass is Earth's mass, Ren?

    • About 81 times
    • About 2 times
    • About 9 times

  10. Using the table, Mars has about one-ninth of Earth's mass, but more than one-ninth of its surface gravity. Why, Tala?

    • Mars spins faster than Earth
    • Its radius is smaller, so its surface is closer to its center
    • Mars's gravity doesn't depend on its mass

  11. Using the table, which body has the smallest surface gravity, Zee?

    • The Moon
    • Mars
    • Earth, since it is biggest
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11th grade Newton's law of universal gravitation worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Newton's law of universal gravitation. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can use the inverse square. Twice the distance gives one-quarter of the pull, 3 times gives one-ninth, and 10 times gives one-hundredth. Each mass counts once.
  • I can measure r from center to center (radius + height) and find g = GM ÷ r² for Earth, Mars and the Moon from NASA data, with r in meters.
  • I can find g above Earth's surface, and I know g is still about 8.7 N/kg at 400 km.
  • I can explain that the two pulls are always equal and opposite, that weight changes between worlds while mass does not, and why G's tiny size makes everyday pulls unnoticeable.

Standard: HS-PS2-4

Words to know

universal gravitation: Every pair of masses attracts with F = Gm₁m₂ ÷ r²

G: The gravitational constant, 6.674 × 10⁻¹¹ N·m²/kg²

inverse square: The force falls as 1 ÷ distance²

center to center: The distance r between the middles of the two bodies

gravitational field strength (g): The pull on each kilogram, in N/kg, equal to m/s²

Common mistakes

Your child divided by the distance factor instead of its square. Gravity falls with distance squared: twice as far, one-quarter the pull.

Your child put the radius in kilometers. G uses meters, so change kilometers to meters first.

Your child did not square the radius. Surface gravity is GM ÷ r².

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with newton's law of universal gravitation?

Your child divided by the distance factor instead of its square. Gravity falls with distance squared: twice as far, one-quarter the pull.

Are these 11th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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