1. Gravitation: Think About It (8)

1. What would happen if there were no gravity?
If there were no gravity on the earth: All the objects including humans will float off from the surface of the earth. They might even move away into space. The atmospheric gases would drift away into space. The water from the oceans, lakes etc. would drift off into space. The life on the earth will become unsustainable. The moon would stop orbiting the earth and would drift away into space. 2 Marks
2. What would happen if the value of G was twice as large?
If the value of G were twice as large then: The weight of all the objects will become double. Picking up objects will require more power. Our body weight will double and our body will need stronger bone structure to support this increased weight. The atmospheric pressure will increase leading to climatic changes. To counter the change in air pressure, our blood pressure would also increase. Various structures like buildings, bridges, dams will collapse due to the increased weight. The earth’s orbit around the sun will be altered leading to catastrophic climatic changes. All the above changes will make it very difficult to survive on the earth. 3 Marks