Multiple Choice
According to Newton's law of universal gravitation, which two factors determine the magnitude of the gravitational force between two point masses?
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8. Centripetal Forces & Gravitation
Newton's Law of Gravity
Multiple Choice
According to Newton's law of universal gravitation, what two factors determine the magnitude of the gravitational force between two objects?
A
The masses of the objects and their electric charges
B
The distance between the objects and the acceleration due to gravity
C
The volumes of the objects and the distance between their surfaces
D
The masses of the objects and the distance between their centers
Verified step by step guidance1
Recall Newton's law of universal gravitation, which states that the gravitational force between two objects depends on their masses and the distance between them.
The formula for the gravitational force is given by: \[ F = G \frac{m_1 m_2}{r^2} \] where \(F\) is the magnitude of the gravitational force, \(G\) is the gravitational constant, \(m_1\) and \(m_2\) are the masses of the two objects, and \(r\) is the distance between the centers of the two masses.
Note that the force is directly proportional to the product of the two masses, meaning that increasing either mass increases the force.
Also, the force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the centers of the masses, meaning that increasing the distance decreases the force significantly.
Therefore, the two factors that determine the magnitude of the gravitational force are the masses of the objects and the distance between their centers.
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