a spaceship is traveling to the moon. at what point is is beyond the pull of the earth's gravity?
a. above the atmosphere
b. half way there
c. when it's closer to the moon than the earth
d. never beyond the pull of the earth
Newtons law of gravity has distance squared in the denominator, even to infinity.
thanks!
The correct answer is option d. A spaceship is never beyond the pull of the Earth's gravity. Gravity is a force that extends infinitely through space, so even when a spaceship is far away from Earth, it is still being influenced by Earth's gravity. However, as the spaceship gets farther from Earth, the gravitational pull becomes weaker compared to other celestial bodies like the Moon.
To determine at what point a spaceship is beyond the pull of the Earth's gravity during its journey to the Moon, we need to understand the concept of gravity and how it influences the motion of objects in space.
Gravity is a force that attracts objects with mass towards each other. In the case of a spacecraft traveling to the Moon, both the Earth and the Moon exert gravitational forces on it. The strength of the gravitational force is directly proportional to the masses of the objects involved and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
Based on this understanding, let's analyze the given options:
a. Above the atmosphere: The presence or absence of the Earth's atmosphere does not directly affect the gravitational pull on the spacecraft. Whether the spacecraft is inside or outside the atmosphere, it will still experience the gravitational force of the Earth.
b. Halfway there: At this point, the spacecraft would still be within the range of both the Earth's and the Moon's gravitational fields. Therefore, it would not be beyond the pull of the Earth's gravity.
c. When it's closer to the Moon than the Earth: As mentioned earlier, gravity depends on the mass and distance between two objects. When the spacecraft is closer to the Moon, the gravitational force exerted by the Moon will become stronger, but the Earth's gravitational force will still be present. So, it is not completely beyond the pull of the Earth's gravity at this point.
d. Never beyond the pull of the Earth: This is the correct answer. The force of gravity between the Earth and the spaceship never truly disappears during its journey to the Moon. Even when the spacecraft reaches the lunar surface, it is still under the gravitational influence of both the Earth and the Moon. However, once the spacecraft lands on the Moon, the Moon's gravitational force becomes more dominant than the Earth's.
In conclusion, the correct answer is (d) never beyond the pull of the Earth.