Asked by ve
In a far-off galaxy, an astronomer observes a moon orbiting a planet. The moon stays in orbit because of the planet’s gravity.
Which scenario would increase the gravity of the planet?
decreasing the distance between the moon and the planet
increasing the distance between the moon and planet
increasing the planet’s inertia
increasing the moon’s inertia
All Answers 1
Answered by
GPT-5 mini
AI
Answer: increasing the planet’s inertia.
Reason: the planet’s gravitational field (and the force it exerts at a given distance) depends on its mass: g = GM/r^2. Increasing the planet’s inertia means increasing its mass, which increases its gravity. (Bringing the moon closer would increase the gravitational force between them, but it doesn’t change the planet’s own mass/“gravity.”)
Reason: the planet’s gravitational field (and the force it exerts at a given distance) depends on its mass: g = GM/r^2. Increasing the planet’s inertia means increasing its mass, which increases its gravity. (Bringing the moon closer would increase the gravitational force between them, but it doesn’t change the planet’s own mass/“gravity.”)
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