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Ch 13: Newton's Theory of Gravity
Knight Calc - Physics for Scientists and Engineers 5th Edition
Knight Calc5th EditionPhysics for Scientists and EngineersISBN: 9780137344796Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 13, Problem 71a

FIGURE CP13.71 shows a particle of mass m at distance 𝓍 from the center of a very thin cylinder of mass M and length L. The particle is outside the cylinder, so 𝓍 > L/2 . Calculate the gravitational potential energy of these two masses.

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Understand the problem: The gravitational potential energy between two masses is given by the formula U = -G * (m1 * m2) / r, where G is the gravitational constant, m1 and m2 are the masses, and r is the distance between the masses. Here, the particle of mass m is at a distance 𝓍 from the center of a thin cylinder of mass M and length L. The goal is to calculate the gravitational potential energy by integrating over the mass distribution of the cylinder.
Set up the problem: The cylinder is a continuous mass distribution, so we need to divide it into infinitesimal mass elements dm. The mass per unit length (linear mass density) of the cylinder is λ = M / L. An infinitesimal mass element dm at a distance z from the center of the cylinder has a mass dm = λ dz.
Determine the distance between the particle and an infinitesimal mass element: The distance r between the particle and the infinitesimal mass element located at z is r = |𝓍 - z|. This will be used in the gravitational potential energy formula.
Write the expression for the gravitational potential energy: The infinitesimal contribution to the gravitational potential energy is dU = -G * (m * dm) / r. Substituting dm = λ dz and r = |𝓍 - z|, we get dU = -G * (m * λ dz) / |𝓍 - z|.
Integrate over the length of the cylinder: To find the total gravitational potential energy, integrate dU over the length of the cylinder from z = -L/2 to z = L/2. The integral is U = -G * m * λ * ∫[from z = -L/2 to z = L/2] (1 / |𝓍 - z|) dz. Solve this integral to obtain the final expression for the gravitational potential energy.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Gravitational Potential Energy

Gravitational potential energy (U) is the energy an object possesses due to its position in a gravitational field. It is calculated using the formula U = -G(m1*m2)/r, where G is the gravitational constant, m1 and m2 are the masses of the objects, and r is the distance between their centers of mass. This concept is crucial for understanding how the gravitational interaction between two masses affects their energy state.
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Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation

Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation states that every point mass attracts every other point mass in the universe with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers. This law provides the foundational understanding of gravitational forces and is essential for calculating the gravitational potential energy between the particle and the cylinder.
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Distance in Gravitational Calculations

In gravitational calculations, the distance (r) used in formulas is critical as it determines the strength of the gravitational force and potential energy. For a particle outside a cylindrical mass, the distance from the particle to the center of the cylinder must be accurately defined, especially when 𝓍 > L/2, to ensure correct calculations of gravitational interactions and energy.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

While visiting Planet Physics, you toss a rock straight up at 11 m/s and catch it 2.5 s later. While you visit the surface, your cruise ship orbits at an altitude equal to the planet's radius every 230 min. What are the (a) mass and (b) radius of Planet Physics?

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Textbook Question

Let’s look in more detail at how a satellite is moved from one circular orbit to another. FIGURE CP13.70 shows two circular orbits, of radii r1 and r2, and an elliptical orbit that connects them. Points 1 and 2 are at the ends of the semimajor axis of the ellipse. Consider a 1000 kg communications satellite that needs to be boosted from an orbit 300 km above the earth to a geosynchronous orbit 35,900 km above the earth. Find the velocity v'1 on the inner circular orbit and the velocity v'1 at the low point on the elliptical orbit that spans the two circular orbits.

Textbook Question

September 2015 saw the historic discovery of gravitational waves, almost exactly 100 years after Einstein predicted their existence as a consequence of his theory of general relativity. Gravitational waves are a literal stretching and compressing of the fabric of space. Even the most sensitive instruments—capable of sensing that the path of a 4-km-long laser beam has lengthened by one-thousandth the diameter of a proton—can detect waves created by only the most extreme cosmic events. The first detection was due to the collision of two black holes more than 750 million light years from earth. Although a full description of gravitational waves requires knowledge of Einstein's general relativity, a surprising amount can be understood with the physics you've already learned. Two black holes collide and merge when their Schwarzchild radii overlap; that is, they merge when their separation, which we've defined as 2r, equals 2RSch . Find an expression for ΔE=Ef−Ei , where Ei ≈ 0 because initially the black holes are far apart and Ef is their total energy at the instant they merge. This is the energy radiated away as gravitational waves. Your answer will be a fraction of Mc², and you probably recognize that this is related to Einstein's famous E=mc² . The quantity Mc² is the amount of energy that would be released if an entire star of mass M were suddenly converted entirely to energy.

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Textbook Question

Let's look in more detail at how a satellite is moved from one circular orbit to another. FIGURE CP13.70 shows two circular orbits, of radii r1 and r2, and an elliptical orbit that connects them. Points 1 and 2 are at the ends of the semimajor axis of the ellipse. How much work must the rocket motor do to transfer the satellite from the circular orbit to the elliptical orbit?

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