There are two objects close to each other. If the mass of one of the objects is doubled while the distance remains the same, how does the gravitational force change

1 answer

The gravitational force between two objects is described by Newton's law of universal gravitation, which states:

\[ F = G \frac{m_1 m_2}{r^2} \]

where:

  • \( F \) is the gravitational force between the two objects,
  • \( G \) is the gravitational constant,
  • \( m_1 \) and \( m_2 \) are the masses of the two objects,
  • \( r \) is the distance between the centers of the two objects.

If you double the mass of one of the objects (let's say \( m_1 \) becomes \( 2m_1 \)), while keeping the other mass \( m_2 \) and the distance \( r \) the same, the new gravitational force \( F' \) can be calculated as follows:

\[ F' = G \frac{(2m_1) m_2}{r^2} \]

This can be simplified to:

\[ F' = 2 \cdot \left(G \frac{m_1 m_2}{r^2}\right) = 2F \]

Thus, the new gravitational force \( F' \) is twice the original gravitational force \( F \). Therefore, if you double the mass of one of the objects while keeping the distance constant, the gravitational force between the two objects will also double.