- #1
Isaac Pepper
- 31
- 1
Homework Statement
A space traveller lands on a small planet whose circumference is 12,500 km. He releases a hammer and a table tennis ball simultaneously from rest and from a height of 1.6 m, timing their fall to take 0.66 s. Determine the density of the planet. What can you conclude about its atmosphere?
Homework Equations
[itex]x = \frac{1}{2} \gamma t^2[/itex]
[itex]Vsphere =\frac{4}{3} \π r3[/itex]
Circumference = [itex]2 \pi r[/itex]
The Attempt at a Solution
[itex]r = \frac{12,500}{2 \pi } = 1989 km[/itex]
[itex]Vsphere = \frac{4}{3} \pi r3 = 3.30*1010 km3[/itex]
[itex] \gamma = \frac{2x}{t^2} = \frac{3.2}{0.66^2} = 7.35 m.s-2[/itex]
Since the density [itex]ρ=m/V[/itex], is there a way to determine the mass of the planet with the acceleration due to gravity, to then figure out the density with the formula?
Thanks for the help !
Also...a bit of help with LaTeX please !