If the distance between two masses is doubled, the gravitational attraction between them is:
Correct answer: D. Reduced to a quarter
- A. Doubled: This option is not correct. When the distance between two masses is doubled, the gravitational attraction between them does not double. In fact, it decreases.
- B. Increases four times
- C. Reduced to half
- D. Reduced to a quarter
Explanation
This is the following solution: Reduced to a quarter: This is the correct answer. According to the law of universal gravitation, the force of gravity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between two masses. When the distance is doubled, the gravitational attraction is reduced to one-fourth of its original strength.
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Newton’s law of universal gravitation relates the force between masses to their masses and separation, while gravitational field strength explains weight and orbital motion. The topic covers satellite velocity and period, escape ideas, weightlessness in free fall, and artificial gravity, which differs from ordinary gravitational attraction.
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