Question

Which celestial body would have the strongest gravitational pull on a satellite orbiting 100 km above its surface? Explain your answer.

Answer 1

Sample Response: Jupiter would have the strongest gravitational pull on a satellite orbiting above its surface because gravity is directly proportional to mass and Jupiter is the most massive planet.

Step-by-step explanation:

edge 2021

Answer 2

Jupiter

Step-by-step explanation:

Since the mass of Jupiter is the greatest from the given choices, it will exert the most force on any object orbiting 100km above its surface.

This is compliance with the Newton's law of universal gravitation which states that "the force of attraction between two bodies is directly proportional to the magnitude of their masses and inversely proportional to the distances between them".

• Therefore, the more the masses of two bodies, the higher the gravitational attraction
• Since the distance is the same, the planet with the greater mass will exert the most force on the satellite.