Question

Two objects are 5 kg and 10 kg respectively, and they're 10 m apart. If the distance between them is increased to 20 m, what happens to the gravitational force?
A. It decreases. B. It increases slightly. C. It is doubled. D. It doesn't change

Answer 1

I think  B. It increases slightly. 

Answer 2

Answer: Option A it decreases

Explanation :

The formula for gravitational force F is given by

F  = G M1*M2/ $d^{2}$

where, G is the gravitational constant

M1 and M2 is the mass of the two bodies.

d is the distnce between the two bodies.

• Now according to the question,

M1 = 5 kg

M2= 10 kg

d = 10

If we put these values in the formula we get,

F = 6.67 * $10^{-11}$ * 5 *10 / $10^{2}$

F = 3.335 * $10^{-11}$

• Now, if the d= 20

then the answer comes out to be 0.83375*$10^{-11}$

• Thus, we can see that the gravitational force decreases.

• We can also find the answer without any calculation from the fact that in the formula the force is inversely proportional to square of distance, thus as the distance increases, the gravitational force decreases.