Neutron stars, such as the one at the center of the Crab Nebula, have about the

Question

Neutron stars, such as the one at the center of the Crab Nebula, have about the same mass as our sun but amuch smaller diameter.

If you weigh 690 N on the earth, what would be your weight on the surface of a neutron star that has the same mass as our sun and a diameter of 25.0 km ?

Take the mass of the sun to be ms = 1.99×1030 kg , the gravitational constant to be G = 6.67×1011 Nm2/kg2 , and the acceleration due to gravity at the earth's surface to be g = 9.810 m/s2 .

Express your weight wstar in newtons.

Explanation / Answer

mass on earth is m = 690/9.81 = 70.33 kg

accelaration due to gravity on sun is g' = G*Ms/r^2

r = d/2 = 25/2 = 12.5 km = 12.5*1000= 12500 m

then g' = (6.67*10^-11*1.99*10^30)/(12500^2) = 8.5*10^-8*10^19 = 8.5*10^11 m/s^2

then weight on surface of a neutron star is W = m*g' = 70.33*8.5*10^11 = 597.8*10^11 N

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse N
• Subjects