Which would have greater gravitational attraction?
1. Earth and the moon
2. Earth and a bouncy ball
3. Earth and the sun
4. Earth and the planet Mercury
The gravitational attraction between two objects depends on their masses and the distance between them. The larger the mass of an object, the stronger its gravitational attraction. Therefore, Earth and the Sun would have the greatest gravitational attraction because the Sun has a much larger mass than any other objects listed.
The order of gravitational attraction from greatest to least would be:
3. Earth and the Sun
4. Earth and the planet Mercury
1. Earth and the Moon
2. Earth and a bouncy ball
The gravitational attraction between two objects depends on their masses and the distance between them.
1. Earth and the moon: The Earth and the moon have significant gravitational attraction due to their respective masses. The moon has a much smaller mass than the Earth, so the Earth exerts a greater gravitational force on the moon compared to the moon's gravitational force on Earth. However, the actual force of attraction between them is still significant.
2. Earth and a bouncy ball: The Earth and a bouncy ball have gravitational attraction, but the force is much less compared to the Earth-moon system. The bouncy ball has a very small mass compared to the Earth, resulting in a negligible gravitational force between them.
3. Earth and the sun: The gravitational attraction between the Earth and the sun is much greater than the Earth-moon or Earth-bouncy ball systems. The sun has an immensely larger mass compared to the Earth, resulting in a powerful gravitational force pulling the Earth towards it.
4. Earth and the planet Mercury: The gravitational attraction between the Earth and Mercury is significant but lesser compared to the Earth and the sun. Mercury has a smaller mass than the Earth, resulting in a somewhat weaker gravitational force between them.
In summary, the ranking of the gravitational attractions mentioned would be:
3. Earth and the sun
1. Earth and the moon
4. Earth and the planet Mercury
2. Earth and a bouncy ball