At what point between two equal masses does the gravitational force become zero?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
At what point between two equal masses does the gravitational force become zero?
At the midpoint
At a point closer to one mass
At a point closer to the other mass
It never becomes zero
The gravitational forces exerted by both masses cancel each other out at the midpoint.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: At what point between two equal masses does the gravitational force become zero?
Solution: The gravitational forces exerted by both masses cancel each other out at the midpoint.
Steps: 6
Step 1: Identify the two equal masses. Let's call them Mass A and Mass B.
Step 2: Understand that gravitational force is attractive and acts between the two masses.
Step 3: Recognize that the force exerted by Mass A on an object is equal to the force exerted by Mass B on the same object if the object is at the same distance from both masses.
Step 4: The point where the gravitational forces from both masses are equal and opposite is where they cancel each other out.
Step 5: Since the masses are equal, this cancellation occurs exactly halfway between them.
Step 6: Therefore, the gravitational force becomes zero at the midpoint between Mass A and Mass B.
