Which of the following statements about Newton’s theory of universal gravitation is true?
Gravitational force increases as the distance between objects increases
Gravitational force increases as mass of objects decreases
Gravitational force increases as the mass of objects increases
The theory applies only to objects on Earth
The statement "Gravitational force increases as the mass of objects increases" is true.
The correct statement 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 break down Newton's theory of universal gravitation. According to Newton, every object in the universe attracts every other object with a force called gravitational force. This force is directly proportional to the product of the masses of the two objects involved and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
So, as the mass of objects increases, the gravitational force between them also increases. This makes sense because larger objects have more mass, which means they exert a stronger gravitational pull on other objects.
On the other hand, the first statement, which states that "gravitational force increases as the distance between objects increases," is not true. According to Newton's theory, gravity weakens as the distance between objects increases. This is because the force of gravity follows an inverse square relationship with distance. As the distance between two objects doubles, the force of gravity decreases to one-fourth of its original value.
The second statement, which says that "gravitational force increases as the mass of objects decreases," is also incorrect. According to Newton's theory, gravitational force is directly proportional to the mass of objects. Therefore, as the mass of objects decreases, the gravitational force between them also decreases.
Lastly, the final statement, "the theory applies only to objects on Earth," is incorrect. Newton's theory of universal gravitation applies not just to objects on Earth, but to all objects in the universe. It describes the gravitational interaction between any two objects, regardless of their location in space.