Forces in Nature Retest

Question

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Question
Possible Points: 5
How would the gravitational force between Earth and the Moon change if the distance between the two objects doubled, but all other factors stayed the same?
Responses

The gravitational force between Earth and the Moon would increase by a proportional amount.
The gravitational force between Earth and the Moon would increase by a proportional amount.

The gravitational force between Earth and the Moon would remain constant.
The gravitational force between Earth and the Moon would remain constant.

The gravitational force between Earth and the Moon would completely disappear.
The gravitational force between Earth and the Moon would completely disappear.

The gravitational force between Earth and the Moon would decrease by a proportional amount.

Answer 1

The correct response to how the gravitational force between Earth and the Moon would change if the distance between the two objects doubled is:

The gravitational force between Earth and the Moon would decrease by a proportional amount.

According to the law of universal gravitation, the gravitational force (F) between two objects is inversely proportional to the square of the distance (r) between them. This means that if the distance is doubled, the gravitational force would decrease to one-fourth of its original value.