Answer the following:
$(a)$ You can shield a charge from electrical forces by putting it inside a hollow conductor. Can you shield a body from the gravitational influence of nearby matter by putting it inside a hollow sphere or by some other means?
$(b)$ An astronaut inside a small space ship orbiting around the earth cannot detect gravity. If the space station orbiting around the earth has a large size,can he hope to detect gravity?
$(c)$ If you compare the gravitational force on the earth due to the sun to that due to the moon,you would find that the Sun's pull is greater than the moon's pull. However,the tidal effect of the moon's pull is greater than the tidal effect of the sun. Why?

Vedclass pdf generator app on play store
Vedclass iOS app on app store
(N/A) No. Gravitational influence cannot be shielded because gravity is independent of the nature of the medium and the presence of other matter.
$(b)$ Yes. If the space station is large,the astronaut can detect the variation in the gravitational field (tidal forces) across the dimensions of the station.
$(c)$ The tidal effect depends on the gradient of the gravitational field,which is proportional to $1/r^3$,whereas the gravitational force itself is proportional to $1/r^2$. Since the Moon is much closer to the Earth than the Sun,the gradient of the Moon's gravitational field is larger,resulting in a greater tidal effect.

Explore More

Similar Questions

Two bodies of masses $m_1$ and $m_2$ initially at rest at infinite distance apart move towards each other under gravitational force of attraction. Their relative velocity of approach when they are separated by a distance $r$ is ($G=$ universal gravitational constant.)

Two satellites of masses $m$ and $1.5 m$ are revolving around the earth in two circular orbits of heights $R_E$ and $2 R_E$ respectively,where $R_E$ is the radius of the earth. The ratio of the minimum and maximum gravitational forces exerted by the two satellites on the earth is

Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion $(A)$ and the other is labelled as Reason $(R)$.
$Assertion$ $(A)$: The angular speed of the moon in its orbit about the earth is more than the angular speed of the earth in its orbit about the sun.
$Reason$ $(R)$: The moon takes less time to move around the earth than the time taken by the earth to move around the sun.
In the light of the above statements,choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

Two bodies of equal masses are at some distance apart. If $20 \%$ of the mass is transferred from the first body to the second body,then the gravitational force between them

Assume that a tunnel is dug along a chord of the Earth,at a perpendicular distance $(R / 2)$ from the Earth's centre,where $R$ is the radius of the Earth. The wall of the tunnel is frictionless. If a particle is released in this tunnel,it will execute a simple harmonic motion with a time period:

Vedclass Products

For Students

Vedclass Test Series

Mock tests in real JEE/NEET style with performance analysis. 5-day free trial.

Start Free Trial
For Teachers

Exam Paper Generator

Generate Set A/B/C/D exam papers from 7.5L+ questions in 2 minutes. 3 chapters free.

Try Free
For Institutes

Online Exam Module

Live online exams with unlimited students, 360° analytics & white-label branding.

See Demo