- ⭐ – Most used in JEE
- ⚠️ – Common Mistake
- 💡 – Memory Hint
Newton’s Law of Gravitation
| Concept | Formula | Symbols Meaning | SI Units | Key Notes / Tricks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravitational Force | [F = G \dfrac{m_1 m_2}{r^2}] | [F] = force, [G] = gravitational constant, [m_1, m_2] = masses, [r] = separation | N | Always attractive ⭐ |
| Value of G | [G = 6.67 \times 10^{-11}] | — | N·m²/kg² | Universal constant |
💡 Memory Hint:
Force ∝ product of masses / square of distance
Gravitational Field & Acceleration
| Concept | Formula | Symbols Meaning | SI Units | Key Notes / Tricks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravitational Field | [g = \dfrac{F}{m}] | [g] = field, [F] = force, [m] = test mass | N/kg | Force per unit mass |
| Field due to Mass | [g = G \dfrac{M}{r^2}] | [M] = mass of body | m/s² | Same as acceleration due to gravity ⭐ |
| On Earth Surface | [g = \dfrac{GM}{R^2}] | [R] = radius of Earth | m/s² | Standard result ⭐ |
💡 Memory Hint:
Field = force per unit mass
Variation of g
| Concept | Formula | Symbols Meaning | SI Units | Key Notes / Tricks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| At Height (h) | [g_h = g\left(1 – \dfrac{2h}{R}\right)] | [h] = height | m/s² | For [h \ll R] ⚠️ |
| At Depth (d) | [g_d = g\left(1 – \dfrac{d}{R}\right)] | [d] = depth | m/s² | Linear decrease ⭐ |
| Due to Rotation | [g_{eff} = g – \omega^2 R] | [\omega] = angular velocity of Earth | m/s² | Minimum at equator ⚠️ |
💡 Memory Hint:
- Height → decreases faster
- Depth → decreases linearly
Gravitational Potential & Potential Energy
| Concept | Formula | Symbols Meaning | SI Units | Key Notes / Tricks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravitational Potential | [V = -G \dfrac{M}{r}] | [V] = potential | J/kg | Negative sign important ⚠️ |
| Potential Energy | [U = -G \dfrac{Mm}{r}] | [U] = potential energy | J | Always negative ⭐ |
| Relation | [U = mV] | — | — | Connects PE and potential |
💡 Memory Hint:
Gravitational energy = always negative (bound system)
Escape Velocity
| Concept | Formula | Symbols Meaning | SI Units | Key Notes / Tricks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Escape Velocity | [v_e = \sqrt{\dfrac{2GM}{R}}] | [v_e] = escape velocity | m/s | Independent of mass ⭐ |
| Using g | [v_e = \sqrt{2gR}] | — | m/s | Simplified form |
💡 Memory Hint:
Escape → √2 times orbital velocity
Orbital Motion (Satellites)
| Concept | Formula | Symbols Meaning | SI Units | Key Notes / Tricks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orbital Velocity | [v = \sqrt{\dfrac{GM}{r}}] | [r] = orbital radius | m/s | For circular orbit ⭐ |
| Time Period | [T = 2\pi \sqrt{\dfrac{r^3}{GM}}] | [T] = time period | s | Kepler’s 3rd law ⭐ |
| Angular Velocity | [\omega = \sqrt{\dfrac{GM}{r^3}}] | — | rad/s | Related to time period |
💡 Memory Hint:
- Velocity ∝ [1/\sqrt{r}]
- Time ∝ [r^{3/2}]
Energy of Satellite
| Concept | Formula | Symbols Meaning | SI Units | Key Notes / Tricks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kinetic Energy | [K = \dfrac{GMm}{2r}] | — | J | Half of magnitude of PE ⭐ |
| Potential Energy | [U = -\dfrac{GMm}{r}] | — | J | Negative |
| Total Energy | [E = -\dfrac{GMm}{2r}] | — | J | Bound system ⭐ |
💡 Memory Hint:
[K : U : E = 1 : -2 : -1]
Geostationary Satellite
| Concept | Formula | Symbols Meaning | SI Units | Key Notes / Tricks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time Period | [T = 24 , \text{hours}] | — | s | Same as Earth rotation ⭐ |
| Orbital Radius | [r^3 = \dfrac{GMT^2}{4\pi^2}] | — | m | Derived from Kepler’s law |
| Angular Velocity | [\omega = \dfrac{2\pi}{T}] | — | rad/s | Fixed relative to Earth |
💡 Memory Hint:
Appears stationary from Earth