What is the minimum speed needed for a cannonball to orbit the Earth?

In summary, Universal Gravitation is a fundamental physical law that describes the attractive force between objects in the universe. It was first discovered by Sir Isaac Newton in 1687 and affects the motion of objects by causing them to be pulled towards each other. While Earth's gravity is a specific instance of this law, Universal Gravitation applies to all objects in the universe. However, it does have exceptions and limitations, such as the effects of General Relativity and the behavior of subatomic particles.
  • #1
saan100
7
0
1) Graph Fg vs. r
Fg on y-axis, r on x-axis (from 1re to 6re)

re (radius of the Earth)

2) If a cannon ball is fired from the top of Everest parallel to the Earth's surface fast enough (ignoring air resistance and assuming that it doesn't bump into anything), it will "orbit" the Earth and hit the back of the cannon that it was fired from. Find the speed required to do this.
 
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  • #2
Write down what equation you need for universal gravitation. Then I will help you.
 

Related to What is the minimum speed needed for a cannonball to orbit the Earth?

1. What is Universal Gravitation?

Universal Gravitation is a fundamental physical law that states that every object in the universe attracts every other object with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

2. Who discovered Universal Gravitation?

Sir Isaac Newton is credited with discovering the law of Universal Gravitation in 1687, although the concept of gravity had been observed and studied by scientists for centuries before that.

3. How does Universal Gravitation affect the motion of objects?

The force of Universal Gravitation causes objects to be pulled towards each other. This results in the acceleration of objects towards each other and determines the motion of celestial bodies, such as planets orbiting around the sun.

4. What is the difference between Universal Gravitation and Earth's gravity?

Universal Gravitation is a fundamental law that applies to all objects in the universe, while Earth's gravity is a specific instance of this law that only applies to objects near the surface of the Earth. Earth's gravity is a relatively weak force compared to the gravitational forces between much larger objects, such as planets or stars.

5. Does Universal Gravitation have any exceptions or limitations?

Universal Gravitation is considered to be a universal law, meaning that it applies everywhere in the universe. However, it does have limitations and exceptions, such as the effects of General Relativity at extremely large distances or the behavior of subatomic particles at very small scales.

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