Which change in the sun's gravity would occur if the sun's mass were reduced by one-half? (1 point)
• It would be zero.
O It would be doubled.
• It would be halved.
• It would be unchanged.
If the sun's mass were reduced by one-half, the change in the sun's gravity would be halved.
If the sun's mass were reduced by one-half, the change in the sun's gravity would depend on the equation for gravitational force, which is given by F = G * (m1 * m2) / r^2, where F is the force of gravity, G is the gravitational constant, m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects, and r is the distance between the centers of the two objects.
The mass of the sun in this equation is reduced by one-half. Therefore, the force of gravity would also be reduced by one-half. Hence, the change in the sun's gravity would be halved.
To determine the change in the Sun's gravity if its mass were reduced by one-half, we need to understand the relationship between mass and gravity. The force of gravity is directly proportional to the mass of an object.
The formula to calculate the force of gravity is given by Newton's law of universal gravitation:
F = G * (m1 * m2) / r^2
Where F represents the force of gravity, G is the gravitational constant, m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects, and r is the distance between their centers.
In the case of the Sun's gravity, we can ignore the effect of the mass of smaller objects within the solar system. So, m2 in this case would be the mass of an object (let's say the Earth) and r would be the distance between the centers of the Sun and the Earth.
Assuming we have a fixed value for G, if we reduce the mass of the Sun by one-half (m1/2), we can calculate the new force of gravity (F') by plugging in the new values into the formula:
F' = G * ((m1/2) * m2) / r^2
After simplifying the equation:
F' = (1/2) * F
This equation shows that the new force of gravity, F', would be half (1/2) of the original force of gravity, F. Therefore, the correct answer is that if the Sun's mass were reduced by one-half, the change in its gravity would be halved.