Which of the following statements about Newton's theory of universal gravitation is true?
O Gravitational force increases as the distance between objects increases.
O Gravitational force increases as mass of objects decreases.
O Gravitational force increases as the mass of objects increases.
O The theory applies only to objects on Earth.
The statement "Gravitational force increases as the mass of objects increases" is true for Newton's theory of universal gravitation.
The correct statement about Newton's theory of universal gravitation is: "Gravitational force increases as the mass of objects increases."
The correct statement about Newton's theory of universal gravitation is: "Gravitational force increases as the mass of objects increases."
To understand why this statement is true, let's go through the basics of Newton's theory of universal gravitation and how to derive this conclusion.
Newton's theory of universal gravitation states that every object in the universe attracts every other object with a force called gravitational force. The magnitude of this force is directly proportional to the product of the masses of the two objects and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers.
This can be expressed as:
F = (G * m1 * m2) / r^2
Where:
F is the gravitational force between two objects,
G is the gravitational constant,
m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects, and
r is the distance between their centers.
By studying this equation, we can determine how the strength of gravitational force changes with the mass of objects.
When m1 and m2 are held constant and the distance r between their centers is fixed, the force F is directly proportional to the product of m1 and m2. Therefore, if either mass increases, the force of attraction will also increase. In other words, the greater the mass of the objects involved, the stronger the gravitational force between them.
However, it is important to note that the force of gravity decreases as the distance between two objects increases. So, the first statement, "Gravitational force increases as the distance between objects increases," is incorrect.
Regarding the second and fourth statements, both are incorrect. Gravitational force is not affected by the change in mass of objects or limited to objects on Earth. It is a fundamental force that applies to all objects in the universe, regardless of their location or composition.
Therefore, the correct statement is: "Gravitational force increases as the mass of objects increases."