Final answer:
To calculate the gravitational force between a student and desk, apply Newton's Law of Gravitation using the given masses and distance, resulting in the force that represents the attraction between the two objects.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the force of gravity acting between a 70.0 kg student and their 18.0 kg desk, we use Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation. The formula is F = G * (m1 * m2) / r^2, where F is the force of gravity, G is the gravitational constant (6.674 x 10^-11 Nm^2/kg^2), m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects, and r is the distance between the centers of the two masses. The distance in meters is 50.0 cm or 0.50 m.
Plugging in the values, we get F = 6.674 x 10^-11 Nm^2/kg^2 * (70.0 kg * 18.0 kg) / (0.50 m)^2. Calculating this gives a result for the gravitational force, which represents the gravitational attraction between the student and the desk.