Final answer:
The gravitational force acting on a 40 kg object due to a 60 kg object placed 2.0 meters away is approximately 6.7 × 10⁻⁸ N.
Step-by-step explanation:
The gravitational force between two objects can be calculated using Newton's law of gravitation:
F = GMm/d²
where F is the gravitational force, G is the gravitational constant (∼6.674 × 10-11 N·m²/kg²), M and m are the masses of the two objects, and d is the distance between them.
In this case, the mass of the first object is 40 kg, the mass of the second object is 60 kg, and the distance between them is 2.0 meters.
Plugging these values into the formula:
F = (6.674 × 10⁻¹¹ N·m²/kg²) × (40 kg) × (60 kg) / (2.0 m)² = 6.7 × 10⁻⁸ N
Therefore, the gravitational force acting on the 40 kg object due to the 60 kg object placed 2.0 meters away is approximately 6.7 × 10⁻⁸ N (option C).