The force of gravity between two objects is described by Newton's law of universal gravitation, which states:
\[ F = G \frac{m_1 m_2}{r^2} \]
where:
- \( F \) is the force of gravity,
- \( G \) is the gravitational constant,
- \( m_1 \) and \( m_2 \) are the masses of the two objects (in this case, the planet and the Sun),
- \( r \) is the distance between the centers of the two objects.
If the mass of the planet is cut in half (\( m_1 \) becomes \( \frac{m_1}{2} \)), while the mass of the Sun and the distance \( r \) remains unchanged:
\[ F' = G \frac{\left(\frac{m_1}{2}\right) m_2}{r^2} = \frac{1}{2} \left(G \frac{m_1 m_2}{r^2}\right) = \frac{1}{2} F \]
Thus, the force of gravity would decrease.
So the correct response would be: The force of gravity would decrease.