Which image shows objects that are exerting less gravitational force on each other?

Image A 10 billion kilograms 1 billion kilograms Image B 10 billion kilograms 2 billion kilograms
(1 point) Responses Image A Image A Image B Image B They are exerting the same amount of force. They are exerting the same amount of force. There is not enough information provided to answer the question.

1 answer

To determine which image shows objects exerting less gravitational force on each other, we can use Newton's law of universal gravitation, which states that the gravitational force \( F \) between two objects is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them:

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

Where:

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

Now, let's analyze the two images:

  • Image A: 10 billion kilograms and 1 billion kilograms.

    • The product of the masses is \( 10 \times 1 = 10 \) billion kilograms.
  • Image B: 10 billion kilograms and 2 billion kilograms.

    • The product of the masses is \( 10 \times 2 = 20 \) billion kilograms.

Since Image B has a greater product of masses, it will exert a greater gravitational force on each other compared to Image A.

Therefore, the answer is Image A, which shows the objects exerting less gravitational force on each other.