Determine the escape velocity from the Sun's gravitational field, considering the Sun's mass and radius. Express the result in kilometers per second.
Guide On Rating System
Vote
To determine the escape velocity from the Sun's gravitational field, we can use the formula:
v = sqrt((2 * G * M) / R)
where:
- v is the escape velocity
- G is the gravitational constant (6.67430 x 10^-11 m^3 kg^-1 s^-2)
- M is the mass of the Sun (1.989 x 10^30 kg)
- R is the radius of the Sun (6.9634 x 10^8 m)
First, let's convert the mass and radius of the Sun to meters:
M = 1.989 x 10^30 kg
R = 6.9634 x 10^8 m
Now, we can substitute these values into the formula:
v = sqrt((2 * G * (1.989 x 10^30 kg)) / (6.9634 x 10^8 m))
Calculating this expression gives:
v = sqrt((2 * (6.67430 x 10^-11 m^3 kg^-1 s^-2) * (1.989 x 10^30 kg)) / (6.9634 x 10^8 m))
v = 617.5 m/s
Therefore, the escape velocity from the Sun's gravitational field is approximately 617.5 m/s. To express this result in kilometers per second, we can convert it by dividing by 1000 (1 km = 1000 m):
v = 617.5 m/s / 1000
v ≈ 0.6175 km/s
So, the escape velocity from the Sun's gravitational field is approximately 0.6175 km/s.