Two 4.3 kg physical science textbooks on a bookshelf are 0.25 m apart. What is the magnitude of the gravitational attraction between the books

To calculate the magnitude of the gravitational attraction between the two books, we can use the formula for gravitational force:

F = G * ((m1 * m2) / r^2)

Where:
F is the gravitational force,
G is the gravitational constant (approximately 6.67430 × 10^-11 N m^2 / kg^2),
m1 and m2 are the masses of the two books,
and r is the distance between the centers of the books.

Given the following values:
m1 = 4.3 kg
m2 = 4.3 kg
r = 0.25 m

Let's plug in these values into the formula to find the gravitational force:

F = 6.67430 × 10^-11 N m^2 / kg^2 * ((4.3 kg * 4.3 kg) / (0.25 m)^2)

Simplifying the equation:

F = 6.67430 × 10^-11 N m^2 / kg^2 * (18.49 kg^2 / 0.0625 m^2)

F = 6.67430 × 10^-11 N m^2 / kg^2 * 295.84 kg^2 / m^2

Calculating the result:

F ≈ 1.96764 × 10^-8 N

The magnitude of the gravitational attraction between the two books is approximately 1.96764 × 10^-8 Newtons (N).

F =G•m₁•m₂/R²

the gravitational constant
G =6.67•10⁻¹¹ N•m²/kg²,