Question

Twin space probes have a mass of 722 kg each. If the gravitational force between the two space probes is 8.61 × 10–16 N, what is the distance between them?

Answer 1

The answer is 2.0X10-5.

Answer 2

201 km

Step-by-step explanation:

The gravitational force between two object is given by:

`F=G(m_1 m_2 )/(r^2)`

where

`G=6.67 \cdot 10^(-11)` is the gravitational constant

m1=722 kg is the mass of the first probe

m2=722 kg is the mass of the second probe

r is the distance between the two probes

Since in this problem we know the magnitude of the gravitational force,
`F=8.61 \cdot 10^(-16)N`, we can re-arrange the equation and find the distance:

`d=\sqrt{G(m_1 m_2)/(F)}=\sqrt{(6.67 \cdot 10^(-11)) ((722 kg)^2)/(8.61 \cdot 10^(-16) N)}=2.01 \cdot 10^5 m=201 km`