What information is needed to calculate the gravitational force of an object? (1 point)

the mass of the two objects

the mass of the object and the planet's gravitational acceleration

the mass of the object subtracted from the distance between the object and the planet's core

the distance between the two objects

1 answer

To calculate the gravitational force between two objects, you need:

  1. The mass of the two objects (m1 and m2)
  2. The distance between the two objects (r)

Thus, the correct answer is:

  • the mass of the two objects and the distance between the two objects.

These components are used in the formula for gravitational force (Newton's law of universal gravitation):

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

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.

None of the options exactly match the complete requirement, but the first and last points are key elements in determining gravitational force.