Question

As the masses of two objects decrease, how does the gravitational force between the two bodies change?

A. The gravitational force increases.
B. The gravitational force decreases.
C. The gravitational force begins to repel the objects.
D. The gravitational force stays the same.

Answer 1

Answer : (b) The gravitational force decreases

Explanation :

Original case : F = GMm / R2 ==> (eq. 1)

When the mass of two objects is halved (decreased) : F' = G M/2 m/2 / R2

F' = 1/4 x GMm / R2

(from eq. 1) F' = 1/4 x F

F' = F/4

Therefore, we can say that the gravitational force between the 2 bodies decreases when the mass of both the bodies decrease.

Answer 2

B. The gravitational force decreases

Step-by-step explanation:

The formula for gravitational force (F) between two objects is

`F = (Gm_(1)m_(2))/(d^(2) )`

where m₁ and m₂ are the masses of the two objects, d is the distance between their centres, and G is the gravitational constant.

The force is directly proportional to the masses.

Thus, two objects that have smaller masses will have a smaller gravitational force.

The gravitational force decreases.

Options A, C, and D are wrong.