Gravitational attraction between objects depends on both their masses and the distance between them, as described by Newton's law of universal gravitation. The formula is:
\[ F = G \frac{m_1 \cdot m_2}{r^2} \]
where:
- \( F \) is the gravitational force,
- \( G \) is the gravitational constant,
- \( m_1 \) and \( m_2 \) are the masses of the two objects,
- \( r \) is the distance between the centers of the two objects.
Let's analyze the pairs you mentioned:
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Book and cereal box: Assuming both are somewhat substantial in mass, this pair would likely have a moderate gravitational attraction.
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Paperclip and penny: Both the paperclip and the penny have relatively small masses. The gravitational attraction here would be less than that of the book and cereal box.
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Small pot and book: Similar to the first pair, both the pot and the book have notable masses, which would contribute to a significant gravitational attraction.
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Penny and small pot: The small pot usually has more mass than a penny, but since both have relatively small masses compared to the previous pairs, the gravitational force would be lower.
Based on this analysis, the pair with the greatest gravitational attraction when placed 1 meter apart would likely be the book and the cereal box or the small pot and book, as they both have larger masses compared to the other pairings. However, if you have specific masses for each object, you could calculate the exact gravitational forces to determine which is greater.