Question

Explain how does distance affect gravitational force

Answer 1

Distance profoundly influences gravitational force as it changes inversely with the square of the distance between two objects. The gravitational force weakens significantly when the distance is increased, following Newton's universal law of gravitation.

Step-by-step explanation:

Distance has a crucial impact on the gravitational force. According to Newton's universal law of gravitation, the force of gravity between two objects is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. This implies that if the distance between two objects doubles, the gravitational force between them becomes one-quarter as strong, following an inverse square relationship.

For example, if we consider two galaxies, the gravitational attraction between them is governed by the same principle. The greater the distance (r), the weaker the gravitational pull between the two galaxies. In the case of celestial bodies like a red giant star expanding, points on its surface get farther from the center of gravity, resulting in a decrease in the gravitational pull at those points.

Newton's insights allowed us to understand that the gravitational force drops to zero only at an infinite distance, which is why objects in the universe, no matter how far apart, still exert some gravitational influence on each other, although it becomes increasingly weaker with distance.

Answer 2

Objects with a greater amount of mass will exert a greater degree of gravitational pull, but as the distance between two objects increases, the gravitational force between them lessens. The significance of distance with regard to large masses, such as planets, plays an important role in the science of Astronomy.

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