The mass of a certain neutron star is 3.0 X 10 to the 30th (1.5 solar masses) and its radius is 8,000 m (8 km). What is the acceleration of gravity at the surface of this condensed, burned-out star?
My answer was 31,265,625 X 10 to the 12th km/s squared.
F/m= GM/r^2= 6.67E-11 * 3.0E30/64E6 m/s^2
= yes, you are correct, except your number of significant digits is far excessive.
The answer is G M/R^2, where G is the universal constant of gravity,
6.67*10^-11 N m^2/kg^2.
You missed the decimal point by a very wide margin, and you have too many significant figures.
The correct answer is 3.1*10^12 m/s^2
Thank you both!
To calculate the acceleration of gravity at the surface of a neutron star, we can use the formula for gravitational acceleration:
acceleration of gravity (g) = (G * mass) / (radius^2)
Where:
G = gravitational constant (approximately 6.674 x 10^-11 N m^2/kg^2)
mass = mass of the neutron star
radius = radius of the neutron star
Let's plug in the given values into the formula:
mass = 3.0 x 10^30 kg
radius = 8,000 m
Convert the radius from meters to kilometers:
radius = 8,000 m = 8 km
Now we have all the values we need to calculate the acceleration of gravity:
g = (6.674 x 10^-11 N m^2/kg^2 * 3.0 x 10^30 kg) / (8 km)^2
Calculating this equation will give us the correct answer.