An astronaut takes a spacewalk at a distance from the Earth's surface equal to three times the Earth's radius. What fraction of g corresponds to the acceleration experienced by the astronaut?
A) 1/4
B) 1/9
C) 1/6
D) 1/16
E) 1/3
IMAT 2025 · Question 58
Q58 - Universal gravitation
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The correct answer is D) 1/16.
Gravity falls with the square of the distance from the Earth's centre. The astronaut is 3R above the surface, so 4R from the centre.
(1/4)² = 1/16 of g
1/9 comes from measuring from the surface instead of the centre.
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