Question

A student claims that gravitational fields exist between objects that are not in contact with each other. She creates a diagram of two figures. The width of the arrows in Figure A and Figure B represent the strength of the gravitational attraction between two objects.

The student claims the gravitational force is greater between the objects in Figure A. Which argument best supports her claim?

A. The masses of the objects in Figure A are less than the masses of the objects in Figure B.

B. The distance between the objects in Figure A is shorter than the distance between the objects in Figure B.

C. The surface area of the larger object in Figure A is greater than the surface area of the larger object in Figure B.

D. The diameters of the objects in Figure A are greater than the diameters of the objects in Figure B.​

Answer 1

Option B. The distance between the objects in Figure A is shorter than the distance between the objects in Figure B.

Step-by-step explanation:

The force of attraction between two masses is given by the following equation:

F = GM₁M₂ / r²

Where:

F => is the force of attraction

M₁ and M₂ => are the masses of the two objects

G => is the gravitational constant.

r => is the distance between the two objects

From the above formula,

The force of attraction (F) is directly proportional to the product of the two masses and inversely proportional to the square of their apart.

This implies that:

1. An increase in the masses of the object will bring about an increase in the force of attraction and a decrease in the masses will leads to a decrease in the force of attraction.

2. An increase in the distance between the two masses will leads to a decrease in the force of attraction and a decrease in the distance between the two masses will lead to an increase in the force of attraction.

Considering the options given in the question above, option B gives the correct answer to the question.