- #1
Jimmy87
- 686
- 17
Homework Statement
Hi,
I am stuck with the following question:
The graph (attached) shows how the Moon's gravitational pull F on a lunar lander varies with the distance 'h' from the Moon's surface. Estimate the work done by the pull of the Moon on the lunar lander as it approaches the lunar surface from a height of 200km. Explain how you made your estimate.
Homework Equations
Work done = force x distance
The Attempt at a Solution
I know that work = force x distance so I was thinking of the calculating the area under the graph but I don't think this will work as this would involve multiplying 0.88kN by 200m x 0.5 and that just can't be right because the average force has got to be somewhere between 3.6 and 2.92kN. Why doesn't this work though as I thought that finding the area under a graph involves multiplying the y-axis by the x-axis which in this case would be force x distance which is work?