Question

If all else stays the same, which would cause an increase in the gravitational force on a space shuttle?

increasing the distance of the space shuttle from Earth
decreasing the distance of the space shuttle from Earth
increasing the universal gravitational constant acting on the space shuttle
decreasing the universal gravitational constant acting on the space shuttle

Answer 1

"decreasing the distance of the space shuttle from Earth"

F = Gm(1)m(2)/R²
where R is the distance between the 2 objects, as it decreases, the force increases.

Answer 2

decreasing the distance of the space shuttle from Earth

increasing the universal gravitational constant acting on the space shuttle*

Step-by-step explanation:

The magnitude of the gravitational force acting between the Earth and the shuttle is given by:

`F=G(Mm)/(r^2)`

where

G is the gravitational constant

M is the mass of the Earth

m is the mass of the shuttle

r is the distance between the shuttle and the Earth's center

By looking at the formula, we see check the effect of each statement given:

- increasing the distance of the space shuttle from Earth --> FALSE: this means increasing r in the formula, so the gravitational force would decrease

- decreasing the distance of the space shuttle from Earth --> TRUE: this means decreasing r in the formula, so the gravitational force would increase

- increasing the universal gravitational constant acting on the space shuttle --> TRUE: this means increasing G in the formula, so the gravitational force would increase. *However, technically is not possible to change the value of G, since it is a universal constant and it has the same value everywhere.

- decreasing the universal gravitational constant acting on the space shuttle: FALSE --> Decreasing G in the formula would decrease the magnitude of the force.