Question

The Inverse Square Law applies to:

Answer 1

The Inverse Square Law in physics states that certain physical quantities diminish as the square of the distance from the source increases, applicable to light intensity, gravity, and other forces.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Inverse Square Law is a principle in physics that describes how a specified physical quantity or strength decreases with the distance from the source. This law applies to various phenomena such as the intensity of light, the force of gravity, and electrodynamics, among others. Taking the example of light, as you move away from a point light source like a street light, the illumination decreases proportionally to the square of the distance from the light source.

For instance, the intensity of a 120-W lightbulb observed 2 meters away is 2.4 W/m². If the observation distance is doubled to 4 meters, according to the Inverse Square Law, the intensity becomes 1/4 of the original intensity since the distance squared is (2²) = 4. Thus, the new intensity would be 0.6 W/m². Similar principles can be observed in the attenuation of gravitational force, which follows the formula F = Gm₁m₂/r², as explained by Newton's law of universal gravitation.

Answer 2

The inverse-square law generally applies when some force, energy, or other conserved quantity is evenly radiated outward from a point source in three-dimensional space.