Question

How much does the gravitational force of attraction change between two asteroids if the two asteroids drift three times closer together?

Answer 1

Increase 9 times

Step-by-step explanation:

We have Newton formula for attraction force between 2 objects with mass and a distance between them:

`F_G = G(M_1M_2)/(R^2)`

where
`G =6.67408 * 10^(-11) m^3/kgs^2` is the gravitational constant.
`M_1, M_2` is the masses of the 2 objects. and R is the distance between them.

Since the force is inversely proportional to the distance squared, if it is reduced by 3 times, the gravitational force between them would increase by
`3^2 = 9` times