Final answer:
The force exerted on an object due to Earth's gravitational field as it moves is always directed toward the center of the Earth. This force is responsible for gravitational orbits and the downward movement of free-falling objects. It aligns with Newton's law of universal gravitation and his third law of motion.
Step-by-step explanation:
The force exerted on an object due to the Earth's gravitational field as the object moves along a path would always be directed toward the center of the Earth. This is because Earth's gravitational force acts as a centripetal force, pulling objects towards its center, which allows objects like the Moon to orbit the Earth and causes free-falling objects to move towards the Earth's surface. According to Newton's law of universal gravitation, every mass attracts every other mass in the universe, and the gravitational force is directly proportional to the product of the two masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers.
Referring to the provided information, the statement that the Moon orbits the Earth because the Earth exerts a force on the Moon and the Moon exerts a force equal in magnitude and direction on the Earth aligns with Newton's third law of motion, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Additionally, gravitational attraction is the correct phenomenon that describes the direction and magnitude of the force between masses, such as an object and Earth. This is the force that we term as weight when referring to an object near Earth's surface.