Exam Prep for Physics | Channels for Pearson+

Skip to main content

My Courses

Newton's Law of Gravity

Newton's Law of Gravity

8. Centripetal Forces & Gravitation / Newton's Law of Gravity / Problem 6

Archeologists place a pendulum on the surface of the Earth at a distance of D away from the center of a gigantic pyramid of mass M_p. The bob of the pendulum (having mass m) makes an angle of Φ with the vertical at the equilibrium due to the presence of the pyramid. Given that the radius of the Earth is R_E and the mass of the Earth is M_E, evaluate an expression of Φ in terms of M_p, D, R_E, and M_E.

ANSWERS OPTIONS

A

$\Phi=\tan\left(\frac{M_{p}R_{E}^2}{M_{E}D^2}\right)$

B

$\Phi=\tan^{-1}\left(\frac{M_{p}R_{E}^2}{M_{E}D^2}\right)$

C

$\Phi=\tan^{}\left(\frac{M_{p}R_{E}}{M_{E}^2D^2}\right)$

D

$\Phi=\tan^{-1}\left(\frac{M_{p}R_{E}}{M_{E}^2D^2}\right)$

Was this helpful?

Learn this concept