Question

At its closest distance from Earth, the moon experiences a gravitational force of 2.22 E 20 N. The mass of the Earth is 5.97 E24 kg. The mass of the moon is 7.35 E22 kg. What is the distance between the Earth and the moon at that point if G = 6.67 E−11 N*m2/kg2?

A. 1.32 E 4 km
B. 3.63 E 6 km
C. 3.63 E 8 km
D. 1.32 E 17 km

Answer 1

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer: B. 3.63 E 6 km

The equation for gravitational force is F = G*m1*m2/r2, where G is the gravitational constant, m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects, and r is the distance between them. We can rearrange the equation to solve for r: r = (G*m1*m2/F)1/2.

Using the given values, we can calculate the distance between the Earth and the moon at the closest point: r = (6.67 E−11 N*m2/kg2 * 5.97 E24 kg * 7.35 E22 kg / 2.22 E 20 N)1/2 = 3.63 E 6 km.

Therefore, the answer is B. 3.63 E 6 km.