Free fall acceleration on Jupiter is 2.55 times that of Earth, and Jupiter’s mass is 318 times
Free fall acceleration on Jupiter is 2.55 times that of Earth, and Jupiter’s mass is 318 times that of Earth. Determine the radius of Jupiter?
To calculate the value of the radius of Jupiter, we will use the equality: Mу / gу * Rу ^ 2 = G (gravitational constant) = Mз / gz * Rz2, whence we express: Rу = √ (Mу * gz * Rz ^ 2 / (gу * Mz)) …
The values of the constants: Mu (the mass of Jupiter) = 318Mz (the mass of the Earth); gу (acceleration of gravity on Jupiter) = 2.55gz (acceleration of gravity on Earth); Rz – the average radius of the Earth (Rz = 6371 km = 6371 * 10 ^ 3 m).
Calculation: Rу = √ (Mу * gz * Rz ^ 2 / (gу * Mz)) = √ (318Mz * gz * (6371 * 10 ^ 3) ^ 2 / (2.55 * Mz)) = 71146 * 10 ^ 3 m = 71146 km.
Answer: The radius of Jupiter, according to the calculation, is 71146 km.