A LevelPhysicsAQAExam QuestionsFields & Their ConsequencesGravitational Fields

Gravitational Fields (AQA A Level Physics)

Exam Questions

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Gravitational Fields

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Gravitational Fields

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11 mark

Which of the following diagrams correctly shows the gravitational field around a planet X ?

7-1-mcq--q1-easy-aqa-a-level-physics

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    21 mark

    What are the standard units of gravitational field strength?

    • m s–1

    • m s–2

    • N m

    • N kg–1

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    31 mark

    Which of the following statements regarding masses and the gravitational force is false? 

    • All masses exert an attractive gravitational force on all other masses

    • The gravitational force between two masses is inversely proportional to the distance between them

    • The weight force on a mass is equal to the product of its mass and the gravitational field strength

    • The standard unit of the gravitational force is the newton, N

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    41 mark

    What is the magnitude of the gravitational force exerted on a mass of 50 g in a gravitational field of strength 8.0 N kg–1?

    • 160 N

    • 0.16 N

    • 400 N

    • 0.40 N

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    51 mark

    What is the magnitude of the resultant gravitational field strength at a point exactly halfway between two planets of equal mass, M ? 

    The distance between the centre of the two planets is r.

    • 0

    • fraction numerator G M over denominator r squared end fraction

    • fraction numerator 2 G M over denominator r squared end fraction

    • fraction numerator G M over denominator r end fraction

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    11 mark

    Two alpha particles, each of mass m subscript alpha, are a distance r apart. 

    Which one of the following expressions correctly gives the ratio fraction numerator e l e c t r o s t a t i c space f o r c e over denominator g r a v i t a t i o n a l space f o r c e end fraction for the forces acting between them ?

    • fraction numerator e squared over denominator pi element of subscript 0 G m subscript alpha superscript 2 end fraction

    • fraction numerator e squared over denominator 4 pi element of subscript 0 G m subscript alpha superscript 2 end fraction

    • fraction numerator 2 e over denominator pi element of subscript 0 G m subscript alpha superscript 2 end fraction

    • fraction numerator G e squared over denominator 4 pi element of subscript 0 m subscript alpha superscript 2 end fraction

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    21 mark

    The diagram below shows three uniform masses in a straight line.

    7-1-mcq--q2-medium-aqa-a-level-physics

    The resultant gravitational force on the 1 kg mass is zero if the distance x is:

    • 6.4 m

    • 8.6 m

    • 5.4 m

    • 5 m

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    31 mark

    Which of the following statements about uniform gravitational fields is incorrect?

    • The field strength is equal at every point in a uniform gravitational field

    • The acceleration of freefalling bodies is dependent on their mass

    • The field lines in a uniform gravitational field are parallel to each other  

    • There is a uniform gravitational field near the Earth’s surface

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    41 mark

    A newly discovered moon around a distant planet has half the Earth’s diameter and a third of its mass. 

    What is the magnitude of the gravitational field strength on its surface?

    • 8.0 N kg–1

    • 9.8 N kg–1

    • 0.82 N kg–1

    • 13 N kg–1 

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    51 mark

    The gravitational force between two identical and uniform spheres of mass M is     4.5 × 10–9 N when the distance between them d = 105 mm, as shown in the diagram below.

    7-1-mcq--q5-medium-aqa-a-level-physics

    If the diameter of each sphere is 5 cm, what is the mass, M ?

    • 4.0 kg

    • 16 kg

    • 5.0 kg 

    • 1.30 kg

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    11 mark

    The gravitational field strength on the surface of a planet orbiting a star is 6.5 N kg–1. The star has twice the density of the planet and the diameter of the star is 1000 times greater than the planet. 

    How many times greater is the weight of an object on the surface of the star compared to the weight of the object on the surface of the planet ?

    • 2000

    • 1000

    • 500

    • 100

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    21 mark

    In the graphs below,  represents the radius of the Earth.  

    Which of the graphs shows the variation of the magnitude of Earth’s gravitational field strength g with distance r from its centre of mass, r = 0 ? 

    Assume that mass is uniformly distributed underneath the Earth’s surface.

    7-1-mcq-q2-hard-aqa-a-level-physics

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      31 mark

      At a point above a planet’s surface and a distance x from its centre, the gravitational field strength is 4 N kg–1. At the planet’s surface, the field strength is 8 N kg­­–1­. 

      Which one of the following gives the value for the radius of the planet ?

      • x over 5

      • fraction numerator x over denominator 2 square root of 2 end fraction

      • fraction numerator x over denominator square root of 2 end fraction

      • x over 2

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      41 mark

      An astronaut on the surface of a moon of mass 7 × 1021 kg stands atop a large hill 100 m above ground level. The gravitational field of the moon is too weak to retain an atmosphere. 

      They throw a projectile with an initial horizontal velocity of 2 m s–1 which subsequently lands 12 m away from the base of the hill. 

      Which of the following gives the correct value for the radius of the moon?

      • 8.3 × 1010 m 

      • 2.9 × 105 m

      • 1.2 × 105 m

      • 1.4 × 1010 m

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      51 mark

      A binary system consisting of a star of mass M and 4M orbit each other at distance r between their centre of mass. 

      The resultant gravitational field strength is zero along the line between their centres at a distance x from the centre of the star of mass M. 

      What is the value of the ratio r over x ?

      • 3

      • 1 third

      • 2

      • 1 half

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