Question

Review the table detailing the mass of Jupiter’s moons and their distance from the planet.

A 3 column table with 4 rows. The first column is labeled Moon with entries Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto. The second column is labeled mas in x 10 Superscript 19 Baseline kilograms with entries, 8.932, 4.8, 14.819, 10.759. The last column is labeled Distance from Jupiter in meters with entries, 421700, 671034, 1070412, 1882709.

Which of Jupiter’s moons has the greatest gravitational force with Jupiter?

Io
Europa
Ganymede
Callisto

Answer 1

Use Newton’s law of gravity: F = G M_J m / r^2. With G and Jupiter’s mass the same for all moons, compare m / r^2.

Using the table (m in 10^19 kg, r in m):
- Io: 8.932e19 / 421700^2 ≈ 5.02e8
- Europa: 4.8e19 / 671034^2 ≈ 1.07e8
- Ganymede: 14.819e19 / 1070412^2 ≈ 1.29e8
- Callisto: 10.759e19 / 1882709^2 ≈ 3.04e7

Io has the largest m/r^2 value, so Io experiences the greatest gravitational force with Jupiter. Answer: Io.