2004 AIPMT GravitationAcceleration due to Gravity Easy Question 4 of 5 in Acceleration due to Gravity

The density of newly discovered planet is twice that of earth. The acceleration due to gravity at the surface of the planet is equal to that at the surface of the earth. If the radius of the earth is R, the radius of the planet would be :-

A 4R
B $\dfrac{1}{4}R$
C $\dfrac{1}{2}R$
D 2R

The answer is C.

Solution

Acceleration due to gravity at the surface: $g = \dfrac{GM}{R^2}$
Mass in terms of density: $M = \dfrac{4}{3}\pi R^3 \rho$
$g = \dfrac{G \cdot \frac{4}{3}\pi R^3\rho}{R^2} = \dfrac{4}{3}\pi G\rho R$
So $g \propto \rho R$
According to the question $g_{planet} = g_{earth}$:
$\dfrac{4}{3}\pi G\rho_{planet}R_{planet} = \dfrac{4}{3}\pi G\rho_{earth}R_{earth}$
With $\rho_{planet} = 2\rho_{earth}$: $2\rho_{earth}R_{planet} = \rho_{earth}R$
$\Rightarrow R_{planet} = \dfrac{R}{2}$

Concept g in terms of density and radius

Acceleration due to Gravity in past papers

5 questions from this chapter have appeared across 5 exam years.