The magnitude of the tidal force exerted on a linear object of mass m and length L is approximately 2GmML/r3. In this expression, M is the mass of the body causing the tidal force and r is the distance from the center of m to the center of M. Suppose you are 1 million miles (1.6 × 109 m) away from a black hole whose mass is 1.99 × 1036 kg (one million times that of the Sun). (a) Estimate the tidal force exerted on your body (L = 1.8 m) by the black hole. (b) At what distance will the tidal force be approximately 10 times greater than your weight?
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solutionChapter 12 Solutions
Physics, Books a la Carte Edition (5th Edition)
Additional Science Textbook Solutions
Organic Chemistry (8th Edition)
Chemistry: A Molecular Approach (4th Edition)
Human Physiology: An Integrated Approach (8th Edition)
Genetic Analysis: An Integrated Approach (3rd Edition)
Concepts of Genetics (12th Edition)
Biology: Life on Earth with Physiology (11th Edition)
- What would be the Schwarzschild radius, in light years, if our Milky Way galaxy of 100 billion stars collapsed into a black hole? Compare this to our distance from the center, about 13,000 light years.arrow_forwardCalculate the effective gravitational field vector g at Earths surface at the poles and the equator. Take account of the difference in the equatorial (6378 km) and polar (6357 km) radius as well as the centrifugal force. How well does the result agree with the difference calculated with the result g = 9.780356[1 + 0.0052885 sin 2 0.0000059 sin2(2)]m/s2 where is the latitude?arrow_forwardWhat is the Schwarzschild radius for the black hole at the center of our galaxy if it has the mass of 4 million solar masses?arrow_forward
- A massive black hole is believed to exist at the center of our galaxy (and most other spiral galaxies). Since the 1990s, astronomers have been tracking the motions of several dozen stars in rapid motion around the center. Their motions give a clue to the size of this black hole. a. One of these stars is believed to be in an approximately circular orbit with a radius of about 1.50 103 AU and a period of approximately 30 yr. Use these numbers to determine the mass of the black hole around which this star is orbiting, b. What is the speed of this star, and how does it compare with the speed of the Earth in its orbit? How does it compare with the speed of light?arrow_forwardWhen Sedna was discovered in 2003, it was the most distant object known to orbit the Sun. Currently, it is moving toward the inner solar system. Its period is 10,500 years. Its perihelion distance is 75 AU. a. What is its semimajor axis in astronomical units? b. What is its aphelion distance?arrow_forwardTwo black holes (the remains of exploded stars), separated by a distance of 10.0 AU (1 AU = 1.50 1011 m), attract one another with a gravitational force of 8.90 1025 N. The combined mass of the two black holes is 4.00 1030 kg. What is the mass of each black hole?arrow_forward
- Compute directly the gravitational force on a unit mass at a point exterior to a homogeneous sphere of matter.arrow_forwardSince 1995, hundreds of extrasolar planets have been discovered. There is the exciting possibility that there is life on one or more of these planets. To support life similar to that on the Earth, the planet must have liquid water. For an Earth-like planet orbiting a star like the Sun, this requirement means that the planet must be within a habitable zone of 0.9 AU to 1.4 AU from the star. The semimajor axis of an extrasolar planet is inferred from its period. What range in periods corresponds to the habitable zone for an Earth-like Planet orbiting a Sun-like star?arrow_forwardThe distance between two stars of masses 3M² and 6M, is 9R. Here R is the mean distance between the centers of the Earth and the Sun, and Mã is the mass of the Sun. The two stars orbit around their common center of mass in circular orbits with period nT, where T is the period of Earth's revolution around the Sun. The value of n isarrow_forward
- The radius Rh of a black hole is the radius of a mathematical sphere, called the event horizon, that is centered on the black hole. Information from events inside the event horizon cannot reach the outside world. According to Einstein's general theory of relativity, Rh = 2GM/c2, where M is the mass of the black hole and c is the speed of light. Suppose that you wish to study a black hole near it, at a radial distance of 48Rh. However, you do not want the difference in gravitational acceleration between your feet and your head to exceed 10 m/s2 when you are feet down (or head down) toward the black hole. (a) Take your height to be 1.5 m. What is the limit to the mass of the black hole you can tolerate at the given radial distance? Give the ratio of this mass to the mass MS of our Sun.arrow_forwardThe radius Rh of a black hole is the radius of a mathematical sphere, called the event horizon, that is centered on the black hole. Information from events inside the event horizon cannot reach the outside world. According to Einstein's general theory of relativity, Rh = 2GM/c2, where M is the mass of the black hole and c is the speed of light. Suppose that you wish to study a black hole near it, at a radial distance of 48Rh. However, you do not want the difference in gravitational acceleration between your feet and your head to exceed 10 m/s2 when you are feet down (or head down) toward the black hole. (a) Take your height to be 1.5 m. What is the limit to the mass of the black hole you can tolerate at the given radial distance? Give the ratio of this mass to the mass MS of our Sun. (b) Is the ratio an upper limit estimate or a lower limit estimate?arrow_forwardPlaskett's binary system consists of two stars that revolve In a circular orbit about a center of mass midway between them. This statement implies that the masses of the two stars are equal (see figure below). Assume the orbital speed of each star is |v | = 240 km/s and the orbital period of each is 12.5 days. Find the mass M of each star. (For comparison, the mass of our Sun is 1.99 times 1030 kg Your answer cannot be understood or graded. More Information solar massesarrow_forward
- Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Foundations...PhysicsISBN:9781133939146Author:Katz, Debora M.Publisher:Cengage LearningPrinciples of Physics: A Calculus-Based TextPhysicsISBN:9781133104261Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. JewettPublisher:Cengage LearningUniversity Physics Volume 1PhysicsISBN:9781938168277Author:William Moebs, Samuel J. Ling, Jeff SannyPublisher:OpenStax - Rice University
- Classical Dynamics of Particles and SystemsPhysicsISBN:9780534408961Author:Stephen T. Thornton, Jerry B. MarionPublisher:Cengage Learning