Question

A satellite is put into orbit around our Sun to study turbulence in the chromosphere. At a distance of r, the satellite

measures the gravitational force between it and the sun the be F₁. After a decade passes, a new satellite with more
sophisticated equipment is put into orbit at the same distance, r, away from the Sun. This new satellite has three times the
mass of the original satellite.
Which of the following relationships indicates the force of gravity between the new satellite and the sun, F2, in terms of
F₁?

Answer 1

The gravitational force between the new satellite and the Sun, F2, would be three times that of the original force F1, as F2 = 3 * F1, according to Newton's law of gravitation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question revolves around Newton's universal law of gravitation, which tells us that the gravity force between two masses is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of their distance.

As the new satellite has three times the mass of the original satellite, but the distance remains the same, the gravitational force between the new satellite and the Sun (F2) in terms of F1 will be three times as great, assuming all other factors remain constant.

Thus, F2 would be equal to 3 * F1. This is because the gravitational force formula F = G * (m1 * m2) / r^2 shows that force is directly proportional to mass. When one of the masses (the satellite's mass in this scenario) is tripled, the force also triples.