Which statement about the development of Newton's theory of universal gravitation is correct?

Question

a. Johannes Kepler and Isaac Newton worked together to define gravity as a force on Earth
b. Isaac Newton was the first scientist to propose the idea that gravity increases as distance between objects decreases.
c. The ideas of scientists such as Nicolaus Copernicus and Robert Hooke contradicted Newton's theory of universal gravitation
d. Isaac Newton described the existence of gravitational force mathematically, but he built upon ideas of other scientists before him

Answer 1

The correct statement about the development of Newton's theory of universal gravitation is:

d. Isaac Newton described the existence of gravitational force mathematically, but he built upon ideas of other scientists before him.

This is true because Newton developed his theory of gravitation by integrating and expanding upon the work of earlier scientists like Kepler, who formulated the laws of planetary motion, and Galileo, who studied motion, as well as Hooke's earlier ideas about attraction.