If the moon were to grow to twice its size while remaining in the same position, its mass would also effectively double. According to the law of universal gravitation, the gravitational force between two objects increases with mass and decreases with the square of the distance; therefore, the gravitational pull between the Earth and the moon would increase due to the moon’s increased mass, assuming distance remains unchanged.
A model shows that the moon has grown to twice its size, yet it has remained in the same place. In 1-2 sentences, explain how this would impact the gravity between Earth and the moon. Hint: Use the terms mass and distance in your response.
5 answers
write it like a kid
If the moon got twice as big but stayed in the same spot, it would also weigh twice as much. This means it would pull on the Earth even more, making the gravity between the Earth and the moon stronger!
Use the terms mass and distance in the response.
If the moon got twice as big, its mass would double, but it would stay the same distance away from Earth. This means the gravity between the Earth and the moon would become stronger because more mass means a bigger pull!
1 answer