The mass of an object decreases by one-half. What happens to the gravitational force between the object and a second object whose mass stays the same?(1 point)

Question

Responses

The gravitational force decreases by one-half.
The gravitational force decreases by one-half.

The gravitational force doubles.
The gravitational force doubles.

The gravitational force stays the same, as long as the objects remain on Earth.
The gravitational force stays the same, as long as the objects remain on Earth.

The gravitational force decreases to one-fourth.

Answer 1

The correct response is:

The gravitational force decreases by one-half.

According to the law of universal gravitation, the force between two masses is directly proportional to the product of their masses. If the mass of one object decreases to one-half, then the gravitational force between the two objects will also decrease to one-half, assuming the other mass remains constant and the distance between them stays the same.