Physics 9702/41 — May/June 2018

Cambridge A-Level · A Level Structured Questions · worked solutions for every part, with the mark scheme

questions

100

marks

120

minutes

Topics Gravitational Fields · Medical Physics · Magnetic Fields · Motion in a Circle · Oscillations · Thermodynamics · +8 more

Q1Gravitational FieldsMotion in a CircleFree sample

(a)

State Newton’s law of gravitation.

(b)

A distant star is orbited by several planets. Each planet has a circular orbit with a different radius.

(i)

Each planet orbits at constant speed.
Explain whether the planets are in equilibrium.

(ii)

The radius of the orbit of a planet is $R$ and the orbital period is $T$ .

Data for some of the planets are given in Fig. 1.1.

Fig. 1.1

The relationship between $R$ and $T$ is given by the expression

R^3 = kT^2

k = \frac{GM}{4\pi^2}

where $G$ is the gravitational constant and $M$ is the mass of the star.

Use data from Fig. 1.1 for the three planets and the expression for $k$ to calculate the mass $M$ of the star.

$M$ = ______ $\text{kg}$

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