Two 3.4 kg physical science textbooks on a bookshelf are 0.25 m apart. What is the magnitude of the gravitational attraction between the books?

To find the magnitude of the gravitational attraction between the two books, we can use Newton's law of universal gravitation. The formula is:

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

Where:
F is the magnitude of the gravitational force,
G is the gravitational constant (approximately 6.674 × 10^-11 N*m^2/kg^2),
m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects (in this case, the textbooks),
and r is the distance between the centers of the masses.

In this case, m1 = m2 = 3.4 kg (since both textbooks have the same mass) and r = 0.25 m.

Now, let's plug the values into the formula:

F = (6.674 × 10^-11 N*m^2/kg^2) * (3.4 kg * 3.4 kg) / (0.25 m)^2

Simplifying the equation gives us:

F = (6.674 × 10^-11 N*m^2/kg^2) * (11.56 kg^2) / (0.0625 m^2)

Calculating further:

F = (6.674 × 10^-11) * (11.56 / 0.0625) N

F = (6.674 × 10^-11) * (185.6) N

F ≈ 1.243424 × 10^-8 N

The magnitude of the gravitational attraction between the two books is approximately 1.243424 × 10^-8 Newtons (N).