Students wonder how the mass of a bowling ball affects the gravitational force between the ball and Earth.

Question

Which action will best help the students investigate?
A. Make a prediction about the effect of distance on the gravitational force between two objects.
B. Use Newton's law of universal gravitation to calculate the acceleration due to gravity on Earth.
C. Write a conclusion about the difference between the mass of bowling balls and other common objects.
D. Measure the masses of several bowling balls using a balance and measure the weights using a spring scale.

Answer 1

The best action to help the students investigate how the mass of a bowling ball affects the gravitational force between the ball and Earth is:

D. Measure the masses of several bowling balls using a balance and measure the weights using a spring scale.

This approach allows students to gather empirical data that directly relates the mass of the bowling balls to their weight (which is the gravitational force acting on them), enabling them to observe any patterns or relationships firsthand.