What happens to the gravitational force between two masses if the distance betwe
Practice Questions
Q1
What happens to the gravitational force between two masses if the distance between them is tripled?
It triples
It becomes one-third
It becomes one-ninth
It remains the same
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What happens to the gravitational force between two masses if the distance between them is tripled?
Step 1: Understand that gravitational force depends on the masses and the distance between them.
Step 2: Remember the formula for gravitational force: F = G * (m1 * m2) / r^2, where F is the force, G is the gravitational constant, m1 and m2 are the masses, and r is the distance between them.
Step 3: Note that the gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance (r). This means that if the distance increases, the force decreases.
Step 4: If the distance (r) is tripled, it becomes 3r.
Step 5: Substitute 3r into the formula: F' = G * (m1 * m2) / (3r)^2.
Step 6: Calculate (3r)^2, which is 9r^2.
Step 7: Now the new force (F') is F' = G * (m1 * m2) / 9r^2.
Step 8: Compare the new force (F') to the original force (F): F' = (1/9) * F.
Step 9: Conclude that if the distance is tripled, the gravitational force becomes 1/9 of the original force.
