Final answer:
When the mass of the moon is doubled and the distance is doubled, the gravitational force first doubles and then is reduced to one-fourth, resulting in half the gravitational attraction compared to the original scenario.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question involves understanding Newton's Law of Gravity and how the affect of gravitation changes when both the mass of the moon and the distance are altered. According to Newton's Law of Gravity, the force of gravity between two masses is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers:
F = G * (m1 * m2) / r^2,
If the mass of the moon were doubled, the gravitational force would also double, because the mass appears in the numerator of the equation. However, if the distance was also doubled, the force of gravity would become one-fourth as strong, because the distance squared appears in the denominator. Therefore, when combining these changes, the overall effect on the gravitational attraction would be to double it first, then reduce it to a quarter. This results in an overall gravitational attraction of one-half the original force.
The correct answer to the effect of doubling the moon's mass and the distance on the gravitational attraction is C. Half the gravitational attraction.