Question

Two asteroids are located a certain distance away from each other. They have the same mass . The gravitational force of attraction is f . If the mass of one of the asteroids is doubled, how will the gravitational force be affected

Answer 1

F' = 2F

Step-by-step explanation:

The gravitational force of attraction between asteroids is given by Newton's Law of Gravitation:

`F = (Gm_1m_2)/(r^2)`

where,

F = Force

G = Universal Gravitational Constant

m₁ = m₂ = m = mass of each asteroid

r = distance between asteroids

Therefore,

`F = (Gm^2)/(r^2)` --------------------- eq(1)

Now, if we double the mass of one asteroid:

`F' = (G(2m^2))/(r^2) \\\\F' = 2(Gm^2)/(r^2)`

using equation (1):

F' = 2F