Question

Acceleration due to gravity, acting on a freely falling spherical body depends upon :

• A. mass of the body
• B. radius of the body
• C. density of the body
• D. none of the above.

Answer 1

The correct option is D

none of the above.

The acceleration due to gravity acting on any object can be expressed by:

$$\begin{gathered} g=\frac{G\times M}{R^2} \\ where, \\ g\to accelerationduetogravity \\ G\to UniversalGravitationalcons\tan t \\ M\to MassoftheEarth \\ R\to RadiusoftheEarth \end{gathered}$$

Explanations for the incorrect options : (A,B,C)

1. Since, the expression contains the mass and radius of the earth and not of the spherical body, we can say that it is independent of the mass and radius.

Explanations for the correct option : (D)

1. The expression for acceleration due to gravity contains only parameters of the earth.

Hence, the answer would be option (D) : none of the above.