153k views
5 votes
What role does mass play in the gravitational forces that hold the solar system together

User Sorcrer
by
5.5k points

1 Answer

6 votes

Answer:

As the mass of an object increases, the gravitational force of attraction also increases.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the universe, all objects have an attraction to each other and this attraction is called gravity. The solar system is held together by the gravitational force of attraction between the sun and planets, the planets and their satellites, etc.

According to Newton's law of gravitation, all objects attract other objects in the universe with a force. The product of the masses of two objects is directly proportional to the gravitational force of attraction between those objects. The square of the distance between the objects' centers is inversely proportional to the gravitational force of attraction between those objects.

If F is the gravitational force of attraction between two objects, M and m are the masses of two objects, G is the gravitational constant and r is the distance between the centers of their masses, then
F =
G{\frac {Mm}{r^(2)}}.

Thus, the gravitational force of attraction between two objects depends on the mass of the two objects and the distance between them. As the mass of an object increases, the gravitational force of attraction also increases. As the distance between the objects increases, the gravitational force of attraction decreases.

User Rich Pollock
by
6.3k points