Gravitational field strength
What Gravitational field strength means in Physics A-Level, as defined for AQA, OCR.
Definitions of Gravitational field strength
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Reference: OCR
The gravitational force per unit mass on a small test mass placed at a point, g = F/m, measured in N kg⁻¹.
The force per unit mass on a small test mass placed at a point, with units N kg⁻¹.
The gravitational force F per unit mass m placed at that point, given by g = F/m.
The quantity g in the equation Ep = mgh, approximately 9.81 N kg⁻¹ on Earth.
The force per unit mass, g = F/m, directed towards the mass.
Topics that use Gravitational field strength
- Fields (A-level only) (AQA A-Level)
- Kinetic and potential energies (OCR A-Level)
- Newton’s law of gravitation (OCR A-Level)
- Point and spherical masses (OCR A-Level)
Related terms
- Field
- Inverse-square law
- Application outside the body
- Critical damping
- Direction of gravitational force
- Direction of gravitational, electric and magnetic fields
- Electric field strength
- Ep = mgh
Using Gravitational field strength in the exam
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