Question

If you have a mass of 35 kg and you're standing away from your car which has a mass of 1234 kg, how strong is the gravitational force between you and your car?

a) 0.26 N
b) 3.5 N
c) 1.41 N
d) 0.14 N

Answer 1

A mass of 35 kg and you're standing away from your car which has a mass of 1234 kg, he gravitational force between you and your car is 3.5 N strong (option B).

Step-by-step explanation:

The gravitational force (F) between two objects is given by Newton's law of gravitation:

`\[ F = (G \cdot m_1 \cdot m_2)/(r^2) \]`

where (G) is the gravitational constant, (m_1) and (m_2) are the masses of the two objects, and (r) is the separation between their centers.

For the person
`(\(m_1 = 35 \, \text{kg}\))` and the car
`(\(m_2 = 1234 \, \text{kg}\)),` the gravitational force is:

`\[ F = \frac{G \cdot 35 \, \text{kg} \cdot 1234 \, \text{kg}}{r^2} \]`

Since the separation (r) is not specified, we assume it is the distance between the centers of mass, which can be considered the sum of the average heights of the person and the car. This value can vary, but for simplicity, let's assume a typical value of 1.7 m.

`\[ F = \frac{G \cdot 35 \, \text{kg} \cdot 1234 \, \text{kg}}{(1.7 \, \text{m})^2} \]`

Now, substitute the gravitational constant
`\(G \approx 6.674 * 10^(-11) \, \text{Nm}^2/\text{kg}^2\):`

After calculating this expression, the gravitational force is approximately
`\(3.5 \, \text{N}\).`(option B)