Question

An astronaut is standing on an asteroid when he accidentally drops a wrench. He observes that the gravitational acceleration on the asteroid is 2.4 m/s². If he had thrown the wrench at an upward angle instead, he would have found the gravitational acceleration on the asteroid to be

• A. less than 2.4 m/s²
• B. toward him at 2.4 m/s²
• C. downward at 2.4 m/s²
• D. greater than 2.4 m/s²

Hint:

Gravitational acceleration is constant and direction-independent, but the net acceleration on a moving object depends on its velocity and the direction of motion.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

The gravitational acceleration on an asteroid is the same in all directions regardless of the direction of motion. This is because the gravitational field is uniform and acts equally in every direction. When an object is thrown upward, it experiences the same gravitational acceleration as when it is dropped freely, which is directed downward. The key difference is in the motion of the object due to the initial velocity.

When the wrench is thrown upward, the effective acceleration decreases because of the initial upward velocity. The wrench starts with an upward velocity that opposes the gravitational pull, causing the object to slow down. As the wrench rises, the downward gravitational acceleration causes it to decelerate. Once it reaches the peak, the object begins to accelerate downward. However, due to the initial upward motion, the observed acceleration is smaller than the full gravitational acceleration (2.4 m/s²).

Hence, the correct answer is (a).