The gravitational attraction between two objects is determined by both their masses and the distance between them, following Newton's law of universal gravitation. The gravitational force can be expressed with the formula:
\[ F = \frac{G \cdot m_1 \cdot m_2}{r^2} \]
where:
- \( F \) is the gravitational force,
- \( G \) is the gravitational constant,
- \( m_1 \) and \( m_2 \) are the masses of the two objects, and
- \( r \) is the distance between their centers.
To find which two objects have the greatest gravitational attraction when placed 1 meter apart, we need to look for the pair of objects with the largest product of their masses.
From your data:
- Paper clip: 1.0 g
- Penny: 2.5 g
- Book: 860 g
- Cereal box: 500 g
- Small pot: 1,200 g
Now, let's calculate the products of the masses for each pair:
-
Book (860 g) and Cereal box (500 g)
- Product: 860 * 500 = 430,000
-
Penny (2.5 g) and Small pot (1,200 g)
- Product: 2.5 * 1,200 = 3,000
-
Paper clip (1.0 g) and Penny (2.5 g)
- Product: 1.0 * 2.5 = 2.5
-
Small pot (1,200 g) and Book (860 g)
- Product: 1,200 * 860 = 1,032,000
The pair with the greatest product of masses is the small pot (1,200 g) and the book (860 g), with a product of 1,032,000 grams².
Thus, the correct response is between the small pot and the book.