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Calculate the gravitational force between two objects of mass 500 kg and 750 kg placed 450 cm apart.

A) F = 0.015 N
B) F = 0.075 N
C) F = 0.75 N
D) F = 7.5 N

1 Answer

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Final answer:

Option (A), To find the gravitational force between two masses, we use the formula F = G(m1 * m2) / r^2 with the given masses and distance, resulting in approximately 0.015 N.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the gravitational force between two objects, we use the formula:
F = G \(rac{m1 \cdot m2}{r^2}\)
Where:

  • F is the gravitational force between the two masses,
  • G is the universal gravitational constant (6.674 \(\times\) 10^-11 N\(\cdot\)m^2/kg2),
  • m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects,
  • r is the distance between the centers of the two masses.

For the given problem, we have:

  • m1 = 500 kg,
  • m2 = 750 kg,
  • r = 450 cm = 4.5 m (we convert centimeters to meters as the gravitational constant is in SI units).

Plugging in the values, we get:

F = (6.674 \(\times\) 10^-11 N\(\cdot\)m^2/kg2) \(rac{500 kg \cdot 750 kg}{(4.5 m)^2}\)
After calculating the above expression:

F = (6.674 \(\times\) 10^-11) \(rac{375000}{20.25}\)
F = (6.674 \(\times\) 10^-11) \(\times\) 18518.5185185
F = 0.0012365477 N

So, the correct answer is closest to A) F = 0.015 N.

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