---
title: "A scientific probe of mass \\(M_{probe}\\) is located at a distance \\(R\\) from the center of a planet of mass \\(M_P\\). At this location, the probe’s onboard instruments measure the local gravitational field strength to be \\(g\\). The probe then deploys a small landing module with a mass \\(m = \\dfrac{M_{probe}}{10}\\). While the landing module is still at the same distance \\(R\\) from the planet’s center, how does the gravitational field strength \\(g_{module}\\) experienced by the module compare to \\(g\\), and what is the justification?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/109927/"
date_modified: "2026-03-26T06:56:41+00:00"
---

# A scientific probe of mass \(M_{probe}\) is located at a distance \(R\) from the center of a planet of mass \(M_P\). At this location, the probe’s onboard instruments measure the local gravitational field strength to be \(g\). The probe then deploys a small landing module with a mass \(m = \dfrac{M_{probe}}{10}\). While the landing module is still at the same distance \(R\) from the planet’s center, how does the gravitational field strength \(g_{module}\) experienced by the module compare to \(g\), and what is the justification?

A scientific probe of mass \(M_{probe}\) is located at a distance \(R\) from the center of a planet of mass \(M_P\). At this location, the probe's onboard instruments measure the local gravitational field strength to be \(g\). The probe then deploys a small landing module with a mass \(m = \dfrac{M_{probe}}{10}\). While the landing module is still at the same distance \(R\) from the planet's center, how does the gravitational field strength \(g_{module}\) experienced by the module compare to \(g\), and what is the justification?

![A large spherical planet labeled with mass M_P at its center. A dashed line represents a circular path at a constant radius R from the planet's center. Along this path, there are two distinct objects: a larger satellite labeled M_probe and a smaller object labeled m. Both objects are positioned at the same distance R from the planet's center.](https://nerd-notes.com/wp-content/uploads/ubq-frq-generated/stem-fig-1-1774508201-3Qrw7Q.jpg)

- **A.** \(g_{module} = \dfrac{g}{10}\) because the gravitational field strength at a location is directly proportional to the mass of the object experiencing the field.
- **B.** \(g_{module} = g\) because the gravitational field strength depends on the mass of the planet and the distance from its center, but is independent of the mass of the object at that location.
- **C.** \(g_{module} = g\) because the gravitational force exerted by the planet on the module is equal in magnitude to the gravitational force exerted on the probe.
- **D.** \(g_{module} = 10g\) because the landing module has one-tenth the mass of the probe and thus experiences a larger field strength to compensate for its smaller inertia.

*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/109927/*