Gravitational field of a point mass
13.3What the syllabus asks of you
- derive, from Newton’s law of gravitation and the definition of gravitational field, the equation g = GM / r² for the gravitational field strength due to a point mass
- recall and use g = GM / r²
- understand why g is approximately constant for small changes in height near the Earth’s surface
Read the notes first
Chapter 13: Gravitational field of a point mass
Drill this topic
All 3 questions on Gravitational field of a point mass, untimed — answer on paper, then mark yourself against the mark scheme.
Make a worksheet
Choose the years and how many questions, then print it with the answers on separate pages.
3 questions
These are structured questions, answered in working rather than by picking an option, so they are not listed here one by one. The drill above puts each in front of you with its mark scheme to check against.