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Two spherical objects have masses of 6.3 x 10^3 kg and 3.5 x 10^4 kg. The gravitational attraction between them is 6.5 x 10^-3 N. How far apart are their centers?

a) 2 meters
b) 5 meters
c) 10 meters
d) 20 meters

User SumNeuron
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

The distance between the centers of the two spherical objects is approximately 134.30 meters.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the distance between the centers of two spherical objects, we can use Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation. The gravitational force between two objects is given by the equation:

F = (G * m1 * m2) / r^2

where F is the gravitational force, G is the gravitational constant, m1 and m2 are the masses of the objects, and r is the distance between their centers.

In this case, we are given the masses of the two objects and the gravitational attraction between them. We can rearrange the equation to solve for r:

r = sqrt((G * m1 * m2) / F)

Plug in the given values:

m1 = 6.3 × 10^3 kg

m2 = 3.5 × 10^4 kg

F = 6.5 × 10^-3 N

G = 6.67 × 10^-11 Nm^2/kg^2

Calculating the expression gives us:

r = sqrt((6.67 × 10^-11 Nm^2/kg^2 * 6.3 × 10^3 kg * 3.5 × 10^4 kg) / (6.5 × 10^-3 N))

r = sqrt(18009.33)

r ≈ 134.30 meters

Therefore, the distance between the centers of the two objects is approximately 134.30 meters.

User AnthonyWJones
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