Question

An astronaut drops a hammer on the Moon as part of an experiment. Before the drop, he raises the hammer by a height of 1 m, which increases its gravitational potential energy by 1.2 J. The mass of the hammer is 0.75 kg. Calculate the gravitational field strength on the Moon.

Answer 1

1.6 N/kg

Explanation:

The units of gravitational field strength are newtons per kilogram. The joule is a derived unit equivalent to a newton·meter.

Then the field strength is ...

newtons/kg = (1.2 N·m)/((1 m)(0.75 kg)) = 1.6 N/kg