Select each correct answer. More than one answer may be correct. Which of the following objects exerts a gravitational force?
Responses:
the Moon
the Sun
a basketball
an apple
the Earth
the Moon
the Sun
a basketball
an apple
the Earth
The correct answers are: the Moon, the Sun, and the Earth. They all exert gravitational forces on other objects. A basketball and an apple also have gravitational forces, but their strengths are negligible compared to the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon, the Sun, and the Earth.
To determine which objects exert a gravitational force, we need to understand that gravity is a force that exists between two objects with mass. According to Newton's law of universal gravitation, every object with mass attracts every other object with mass.
Based on this information, we can now evaluate each given object:
1. The Moon: Correct. The Moon exerts a gravitational force due to its mass.
2. The Sun: Correct. The Sun exerts a significant gravitational force on all objects in the solar system.
3. A basketball: Correct. While the gravitational force of a basketball may be very small compared to larger celestial bodies, it still has mass and therefore exerts a gravitational force.
4. An apple: Correct. Like the basketball, although the gravitational force of an apple is small compared to celestial bodies, it still exerts a gravitational force due to its mass.
5. The Earth: Correct. The Earth, being a large celestial body, exerts a substantial gravitational force on all objects near its surface.
Therefore, all of the given objects (the Moon, the Sun, a basketball, an apple, and the Earth) exert a gravitational force, making multiple answers correct in this case.