Question

Two objects are attracted to each other by gravitational forces. Suppose I double the mass of one of the objects. This changes the gravitational forces between them. I can make this force the same as it was at first, however, by doing what?

A) increasing the distance between the two objects
B) decreasing the distance between the two objects

Answer 1

Increasing the distance between the two objects

Step-by-step explanation:

The gravitational force between two objects is determined by their masses and the distance between them. When you double the mass of one of the objects, the gravitational force between them doubles. However, you can make the force the same as it was at first by increasing the distance between the two objects.

This is because the gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the objects. When you double the distance, the force decreases to one fourth of its original value.

For example, if the force between two objects at a certain distance is 10 units, doubling the distance will decrease the force to 2.5 units.