If the distance of two objects decreases, would the force of gravity increase or decrease?
If the distance between two objects decreased, what would happen to the force of gravity between them
a
It would increase.
b
It would stay the same.
c
It would depend on the speed.
d
It would decrease.
D
When the distance between two objects decreases, the force of gravity between them actually increases. This phenomenon is described by Newton's law of universal gravitation, which states that the force of gravity between two objects is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers. Mathematically, this can be expressed as:
F = G * (m1 * m2) / (r^2)
Where:
- F is the force of gravity
- G is the gravitational constant
- m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects
- r is the distance between their centers
By examining the equation, you can see that if the distance (r) decreases, the denominator (r^2) becomes smaller, causing the force (F) to increase. Hence, the force of gravity between two objects increases as the distance between them decreases.