Question

Which factors determine how much gravity a body in the universe possesses? Check all that apply.

inertia
mass
weight
distance
orbital motion

Answer 1

Correct answers: mass and distance.

Brief explanation:
- Mass — yes. Mass (more generally mass–energy) is the source of gravity; more mass means a stronger gravitational field.
- Distance — yes in the sense that the gravitational force or field strength you feel from a body falls off with distance (Newton: F = G m1 m2 / r^2). So the gravity experienced at a point depends on how far you are from the body.

Why the others are not correct:
- Inertia — not separately. Inertial mass is the same physical quantity as gravitational mass, but “inertia” itself isn’t an independent factor that creates gravity.
- Weight — no. Weight is the force a gravity field exerts on a mass, not something that causes gravity.
- Orbital motion — no for ordinary purposes. A body’s orbital motion doesn’t change its gravitational mass; (only in general relativity do moving masses produce tiny additional “gravitomagnetic” effects).