General

Physics 1 12
Earth Science – Grade 12
Quarter 2 – Module 4: Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation
First Edition, 2020

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 General
Biology 1 12
Quarter 2
Self-Learning Module 4
Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the General Physics 1 Self-Learning Module 4 on Newton’s Law

of Universal Gravitation

This Self-Learning Module was collaboratively designed, developed and

reviewed by educators from the Schools Division Office of Pasig City headed by its
Officer-in-Charge Schools Division Superintendent, Ma. Evalou Concepcion A.
Agustin, in partnership with the City Government of Pasig through its mayor,
Honorable Victor Ma. Regis N. Sotto. The writers utilized the standards set by the K
to 12 Curriculum using the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELC) in
developing this instructional resource.

This learning material hopes to engage the learners in guided and

independent learning activities at their own pace and time. Further, this also aims
to help learners acquire the needed 21st century skills especially the 5 Cs, namely:
Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Character while
taking into consideration their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the
body of the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies
that will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this
module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them
to manage their own learning. Moreover, you are expected to encourage and assist
the learners as they do the tasks included in the module.
 For the Learner:

Welcome to the General Physics 1 Self-Learning Module 4 on Newton’s Law

of Universal Gravitation

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You
will be enabled to process the contents of the learning material while being an
active learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

Expectations - This points to the set of knowledge and skills

that you will learn after completing the module.

Pretest - This measures your prior knowledge about the lesson

at hand.

Recap - This part of the module provides a review of concepts

and skills that you already know about a previous lesson.

Lesson - This section discusses the topic in the module.

Activities - This is a set of activities that you need to perform.

Wrap-Up - This section summarizes the concepts and

application of the lesson.

Valuing - This part integrates a desirable moral value in the

lesson.

Posttest – This measures how much you have learned from the
entire module.
 EXPECTATIONS
This module is about Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation. After going
through this module, you are expected to:

1. use Newton’s law of gravitation to infer force, weight, and acceleration due to
gravity;
2. determine the net gravitational force on a mass given a system of point masses;
and
3. appreciate the physical significance of the gravitational field.

PRETEST
Multiple Choice: Encircle the letter that corresponds to the correct answer.

1. Which of the following statements best describes the law of universal

gravitation?
A. Two objects pull on each other with a force that is proportional to the
product of their masses and inversely proportional to the distance between
them
B. Two objects push on each other with a force that is proportional to the
product of their masses and inversely proportional to the distance between
them
C. Two objects pull on each other with a force that is inversely proportional to
the product of their masses and proportional to the square of the distance
between them.
D. Two objects push on each other with a force that is proportional to the
square of the distance between them

2. If the distance between two objects is 2.5 meters and is increased to 5 meters,
what happens to the gravitational force between them?
A. it doubles C. it increases by a factor of 4
B. it decreases by half D. it decreases by a factor of 4

3. Object A has a mass of 5 x 10 10 kg and object B has a mass of 9 x 10 10 kg.

If they are 3,000 meters apart, what is the gravitational attraction between
them? (G= 6.67 x 10-11 Nm2/kg2)
A. 33.350 N C. 1.00 x 108 N
B. 33,350 N D. 1.00 x 10-8 N

4. The mass of Venus is 4.873 x 10 24 kg and its radius is 6,052 km. What is the
acceleration due to gravity on the surface of Venus and the weight of 0.5kg rock on
its surface?
A. 0.88 m/s2 ; 0.44 N C. 0.88 m/s2 ; 4.44 N
B. 8.88 m/s2 ; 4.44 N D. 8.88 m/s2 ; 0.44 N
5. Which of the following is NOT an example of the interaction of the gravitational
field of two bodies?
A. the force between two point masses
B. the force between earth and the moon
C. the force between earth and a satellite orbiting it
D. opposite poles of two magnets pulling toward each other

RECAP
Here are 4 pictures, work out what the word is associated with the following
pictures from a set of letters given below:

https://clarkscience8.weebly.com/uploads/2/6/3/7/ https://mikascience.weebly.com/uploads/2/8/0/8
2637711/published/gravity-orbit.jpg?1576691761 /28086939/5106127_orig.gif
B I C R V K P

https://k8schoollessons.com/wp-
content/uploads/2017/12/gravity.jpg
https://www.unilad.co.uk/wp-
content/uploads/2016/02/space.jpg
G T L Z A L Y

What is the word that we are looking for? You are right GRAVITY! But what is
gravity? We know that gravity exerts influence on things such as planets, satellites,
projectiles, or any falling objects. This module covers lessons on the behavior of
gravity as well as its significance.

LESSON

You’ve probably heard this story before about Isaac Newton sitting under an apple
tree on his mother’s farm reflecting on the forces of nature. An apple fell on his
head, and perhaps he looked up through the apple tree branches and noticed the
moon. We do not know the exact account of this story or if this is ever true, what
we know is that this fortunate event caught the attention and interest of Isaac
Newton and set him into thinking why the apple was attracted to the ground in the
first place. Newton developed his ideas further and reasoned that the apple is
attracted to the earth in the same way that earth is attracted to the apple. He
extended this idea on earth’s moon, planets, sun, and for every object in the
universe being attracted by gravity. Newton discovered that gravity was universal
and formulated the law of universal gravitation.
Newton’s law of gravitation states that any two objects in the universe attract one
another with a force proportional to the product of their masses m1 and m2. The
force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance d between them.

F 𝛼 m1 x m2 That is, the greater the masses, the greater the

force of attraction between them.

F𝛼 1 That is, the farther away the objects are from

d2 each other, the less the force of attraction
between them.

If we put all of these into a F 𝛼 m1m2

proportionality, we get d2

where m1 is the mass of one object, m2 is the mass of the other object and d is the
distance between their centers of mass. The bigger the masses m1 and m2, the
bigger the force of gravity between them. The bigger the distance between the
objects, the smaller the force of attraction

Now using proportionality constant is not that convenient in Math, so instead we

turned proportionality into an equation. To do that we have to replace the
proportionality symbol with an equal symbol and that means we have to add a
constant, the universal gravitation constant or G, thus

Eq 1.

In words, to calculate the force of gravity between two objects multiply m1 and m2
divided by the square of the distance between their centers, and then multiply the
result by the constant G.

If we rearrange this equation we will get the equation for universal gravitation
constant, which is equal to the product of the gravitational force and the square of
the distance divided by the product of the masses of the two objects.

G = Fd2
m1m2
This equation helps us to get the SI unit of G, using the units for each of the terms
in the equation, the units for G turns out to be, N.m 2/kg2

Although Newton gave his theory in the 17 th century, it took 150 years to find the
value of G. Finally, the English Physicist Henry Cavendish accomplished this using
a torsion balance and found that G (gravitational constant) has a value of
G= 6.67 x 10-11 N.m2
kg2
The value of G tells us that the force of gravity is very weak.

In your previous lesson, we defined the weight of a body as the attractive

gravitational force exerted on it by the earth. Because of Newton’s law of universal
gravitation, we can extend our definition of weight as the total gravitational force
exerted on a body by all other bodies in the universe.

When the body is near the surface of the earth, we can ignore the gravitational
forces and consider the weight as just the gravitational attraction and is given by:

Substituting for G, RE, and mE, we find that

 
Fg = (6.67 x 10-11 N.m2/kg2) (5.98 x 1024kg) m
(6.38 x 106 m)2

= (9.8 m/s2)

Note that 9.8 m/s2 is the value of g, the earth’s gravitational acceleration, so by
Newton’s second law, w = mg, equating this with Eq (2) and dividing by m, and
canceling m we get,
(1) g = F = G mEm (2) g = GmE
m RE2_ RE2
m

Thus, we can see that the numerical value of g depends on the mass of the earth
and its radius. if the earth had a different mass or radius, g at its surface would
have a different value. If you know the mass and radius of any planet, you can
calculate the acceleration due to gravity at the surface of that planet.
 Let us practice! Gravitational Force
Example 1. Example 1: Solution: Gravitational force is
calculated using Eq. 1
Vince is standing 5 m from Ally. Vince has a Fg = G m1m
mass of 80 kg, while Ally 49 kg. What is the r2
attractive gravitational force between them? Fg = 6.67 x 10-11 N.m2 x 80 kg x 49 kg
kg2
Given: (5m)2
mS = mass of Vince = 80 kg
Multipy G, m1 and m2 divided by r2 and
mA = mass of Ally = 49 kg
cancel the units
r = distance between them = 5m
G = 6.67 x 10-11 N.m2
Fg = 6.67 x 10-11 N.m2 x 80 kg x 49 kg
kg2
kg2
25m2
Fg = 1.05 x 10-8 N
Example 2 Example 2: Solution:
Let us look into the gravitational force between
the earth and the moon. The mass of the earth Fg = G m1m
is 5.98 x 1024 kg, the mass of the moon is 7.35 r2
x 1022 kg, and the earth and the moon are 3.8 Fg = 6.67 x 10-11 N.m2/kg2 x 5.98 x1024kg
x108 m apart. What is the gravitational force x 7.35 x 1022 kg
between the earth and the moon? (3.8 x 108 m)2
Multipy G, m1 and m2 divided by r2 and
Given: cancel the units
ME = mass of Earth = 5.98 x 10 24 kg
Mm = mass of moon = 7.35 x 10 22 kg Fg= 6.67 x 10-11 N.m⁄2/kg⁄2 x 5.98 x 1024 k⁄g
r = distance between them = 3.8 x 10 8 m x 7.35 x 1022 k⁄g
G = 6.67 x 10-11 N.m2
1.44 x 1017 m⁄2
kg2
Fg = 2.04 x 1020 N
Comparing samples 1 and 2 shows that when big masses like that of the earth are
involved, we sense gravitation. However, the force of attraction between you and the
members of your household, though present, is relatively too weak.

Let us Practice! Acceleration due to gravity and weight

Example 3 Calculate the gravitational acceleration on the surface of Jupiter and the weight of
a 0.50kg rock on its surface.
Solution:
(a) The radius of Jupiter is 71,398,000 m and that its mass is 317.89(5.98x10 24kg)= 1.9 x
1026kg. The gravitational acceleration on Venus is calculated using Eq. 3

gJ = G mJ
RJ2
= (6.67x10-11N.m2/kg2)(1.9 x 1027kg)
(71,398,000 m)2
= 24.87 m/s2
(b) The rock’s weight on Jupiter is
wJ =mgJ =(0.50 kg)(24.87 m/s2)= 12.44 N
By comparison, the same rock weighs w = (0.50kg) (9.8m/s2) = 4.9 on the earth’s surface.
 Let us Practice! Calculating net gravitational force

1. Find the magnitude and direction of the net gravitational force on mass A due to mass A due to
masses B and C in fig 1. Mass A is 5.0 kg; mass B 8kg and mass C 6k
C A B

10cm 40cm

To calculate the force between two masses, we use the equation

F = Gm1m2
r2
The direction of the force will always point toward the larger of the two masses. Let’s find
the forces between A& B, and between A & C. If we take forces to the right as a “positive” direction
and forces to the left as “negative” direction, we can find the direction of the net force at the same
time as we find the magnitude.
FA-B = GmAmB
r2A-B
FA-B = (6.67 x 10-11 Nm2/kg2)(2kg)(8kg) FA-B = 6.67 x 10-9N
(0.40 m)2
Between forces A and B, the force will point toward mass B (positive) due to it being the larger
mass. Let’s follow the same calculations between masses A & C.
FA-C = GmAmC
r2A-C
= (6.67 x 10-11 Nm2/kg2)(2kg)(6kg) FA-C = -8.0 x 10-8 N
(0.10m) 2

Because C is the larger of the two masses, the force points to C (negative). Now, let’s add two forces
together to find the total force acting on mass A
ΣF = FA-B + FA-C
ΣF = 6.67 x 10-9N + -8.0 x 10-8 N
ΣF = 6.67 x 10-9N - 8.0 x 10-8 N
ΣF = -7.33 x 10-8
The final answer is negative, this measn the force points to mass C. So the final magnitude and
direction is -7.33 x 10-8 N towards mass C.
Physical Significance of Gravitational Field
Gravitational forces are so small between ordinary household-sized objects but very
valuable between objects that are the size of stars and planets. It is responsible for
keeping the earth together and the planets in orbit around the sun. The mutual
gravitational attraction between the main parts of the sun compresses material at
the sun’s core to very high densities and temperatures, making it possible for the
nuclear sun’s core to produce a tremendous amount of energy. Moreover, Newton's
law on universal gravitation makes a lot of things easy to explain. Here on earth,
the ocean tides are caused by differences in the gravitational pull of the moon and
the sun on opposite sides of the earth. While both the moon and the sun influence
the ocean tides, the moon plays the biggest influence because it is so much closer
to our planet than the sun. The moon’s attraction is stronger on earth’s ocean
nearer the moon and weaker on the opposite ocean farther than the moon. This is
simply because the gravitational force is weaker with increased distance.
 ACTIVITIES
Activity 1: Falling for Gravity
Objective: use Newton’s law of gravitation to infer force, weight, and acceleration
due to gravity

1. Lee Yeong gazed out of the window and saw the full moon rose with more than
ordinary splendor. (A) What force does a full moon exert on Lee Yeong with a mass
of 65 kg when it is directly overhead with its center 378,000 km away. (B) Compare
this force with the force exerted on Lee Yeong by the earth.
G = 6.67 x 10-11 Nm2/kg2
Given Data Solution-(show your solution on a separate
sheet of paper
Variables Value (A) The gravitational force exerted by the
Mass of Lee Yeong (mLee) moon is:

Mass of the moon (mMoon)

(B) The gravitational force exerted by the
Distance between the adult human earth is:
and the center of the moon (r)

2. The mass of planet Mars is 10.7% that of the earth, and its radius is 53.3% that
of the earth. (A) Compute the acceleration due to gravity on the surface of Mars
from these data. (B) If a rock weighs 75.0N on earth, what would it weigh at the
surface of Mars? G = 6.67 x 10-11 Nm2/kg2
Given Data Solution-(show your solution on a separate
sheet of paper
Variables Value A. The acceleration due to gravity
Mass of the earth(mEarth) on the surface of Mars
is____________
Radius of the earth (rEarth)
B. The weight of the rock on the
Mass of Venus (mMars)
surface of Mars is _______
Radius of the Venus (RMars)

3. Calculate the earth’s gravity force on Ally a 55-kg astronaut who is repairing the
Hubble space telescope 600 km above the earth’s surface, and then compare this
value with her weight at the earth’s surface. G = 6.67 x 10-11 Nm2/kg2
Given Data Solution-(show your solution on a separate
sheet of paper
Variables Value The earth’s gravity force on Ally is
_________
Mass of Ally (mAlly)
Her weight on the earth’s surface is
Mass of the earth is (mEarth)
____________
Distance from the center of the earth
to Ally is r
Activity 2: My Love from the Star

Objective: Determine the net gravitational force on a mass given a system of point
masses.

Many stars belong to systems of two or more stars held together by their mutual
gravitational attraction. Figure 1 shows a three-star system at an instant when the
stars are at the vertices of a 45 0 right triangle. Find the total gravitational force
exerted on the small star by the two large ones.
y
5.00 X 1030 kg

2.00 X 1020
m

1.80 X 1030 kg

2.00 X 1020m 5.00 X 10 30 kg

m

Activity 3: TIDAL POWER

g
Objective: Appreciate the physical significance of the gravitational field.
Introduction: Newton’s gravity makes a lot of things easy to explain like tides. It is
the moon’s gravity that pulls the seawater and causes high tides on the side of the
earth facing the moon and low tide on the other side facing away from it. By
turning to ocean tides we can find a source of energy that will not deplete our
existing non-renewable resources.

Task:
Let us say that you were a project engineer of an energy company sent to a
barangay which is a potential tidal energy site. Your task is to create a poster
describing how the energy of ocean tides work as well as the positive effects of tidal
power. How will your poster look like? Create your poster using a separate sheet of
paper

WRAP-UP

QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
1. What does the magnitude of the gravitational force tell us in relation to mass?
What about the 1/d2 factor tell us about the distance and gravitational force?
2. Upon what quantities does the acceleration of gravity on the surfaces of various
planets depend?
3. How do you compute for the net gravitational force exerted by two or more bodies
on a particular body?
4. Why are tides greater at the times of the full and new moon?
 VALUING
Isaac Newton once said “What goes up, must come down” basically it’s
what gravity does to people and things. If we apply this quote in real life, it means
things change, and every experience no matter how good or bad changes. There are
events in our life that will eventually change, like what we are experiencing now
due to COVID-19. In light of the global pandemic, as a student how do you
embrace and manage the changes that come your way? Write your thoughts on
your journal and be ready to share it with your friends, classmates, and family
members.

POSTTEST
Multiple Choice: Encircle the letter that corresponds to the correct answer.
1. What is the force of gravity between a newborn baby of mass 4 kg and the
obstetrician of mass 75 kg, who is 0.3 m from the baby?
A. -6.403 X 10-14 N C. 1.78 x 10-10 N
B. 6.403 x 10-14 N D. -1.78 x 10-10 N

2. Titania, the largest moon of the planet Uranus, has 1/8 the radius of the earth
and 1/1700 the mass of the earth. What is the acceleration due to gravity on the
surface of Titania?
A. 3.69 m/s2 C. 9.8 m/s2
B. 0.369 m/s 2 D. 0.98 m/s2

For questions 3, please refer to the figure below

A B C

5kg 2kg 3kg

15 cm 60 cm

3. What is the magnitude of the net gravitational force on mass B due to masses A
and C?
A. -2.96 x 10-8 N C. -2.85 x 10-8 N
B. 1.11 x 10-9 N D. 2.85 x 10-8 N

4. If the distance between mass B and mass C is reduced by half, what will be the
net gravitational force on mass B due to masses A and C?
A. -2.96 x 10-8 N C. 3.41 x 10-8 N
B. 4.45 x 10-9 N D. -2.52 x 10-8 N
5. Why does the moon play the biggest role in producing ocean tides on earth?
A. because the moon is so much closer to our planet than the sun
B. because the moon’s pull is much stronger than the sun
C. because the moon reflects all the sun’s light
D. because the moon reflects no sunlight

KEY TO CORRECTION
CONCEPT SUMMARY w = Fg = G mEm
1. Newton’s law of gravitation states RE2
that any two objects in the universe (Weight at earth’s surface)

attract one another with a force g = GmE

proportional to the product of their RE2
(acceleration due to gravity on earth’s surface)
masses m1 and m2. The force is inversely
proportional to the square of the 2. When two or more bodies exert
distance d between them. gravitational forces on a particular body,
Fg =Gm1m2 the total gravitational force is the vector
d2 sum of the forces exerted by the other
The greater the masses, the greater the bodies.
force; the greater the distance, the 3. Ocean tides are caused by differences
smaller is the force. The force of gravity
in the gravitational pull of the moon
weakens as the distance squared. (and sun) on opposite sides of the earth.
We have a higher than average high
The weight w of the body is the total tides and lower than average low tides at
gravitational force exerted on it by all the times of a new moon and a full moon
other bodies in the universe Near the when the sun, the earth, and the moon
surface of the earth (mE and radius RE), are all lined up and the tides due to the
the weight is essentially equal to the sun and the moon coincide.
gravitational force of the earth alone.

References
Hewitt, Paul G. Conceptual Physics, 11th Edition San Francisco: Pearson, 2010.

Silverio, Angelina A. Exploring Life Through Science SERIES General Physics 1.Quezon City:
Phoenix Publishing House, 2017.

Van Heuvelen, Alan. Physics: A General Introduction, United States of America: Little, Brown
and Company, 1986.

Young, Hugh D., and Freedman, Roger A. Sears and Zemansky’s University Physics with
Modern Physics, 14th Edition. San Francisco: Pearson, 2016.

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https://mikascience.weebly.com/uploads/2/8/0/8/28086939/5106127_orig.gif
.
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