A person states that the gravitational force between two objects depends upon the mass of the objects and the distance between them. Which argument best supports the person’s statement?(1 point)
Responses
If the distance between two objects decreases, the gravitational force between the objects will decrease.
If the distance between two objects decreases, the gravitational force between the objects will decrease.
If the distance between two objects increases, the gravitational force between the objects will increase.
If the distance between two objects increases, the gravitational force between the objects will increase.
If the distance between two objects decreases, the gravitational force between the objects will not change.
If the distance between two objects decreases, the gravitational force between the objects will not change.
If the distance between two objects increases, the gravitational force between the objects will decrease
If the distance between two objects increases, the gravitational force between the objects will decrease.
The argument that best supports the person's statement is: "If the distance between two objects increases, the gravitational force between the objects will decrease." This is because according to the law of universal gravitation, the gravitational force between two objects is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
The argument that best supports the person's statement is: "If the distance between two objects increases, the gravitational force between the objects will decrease."
To understand why this argument supports the person's statement, we need to consider the fundamental law of universal gravitation, formulated by Sir Isaac Newton. According to this law, the gravitational force between two objects is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers.
Mathematically, the gravitational force (F) can be expressed as:
F ∝ (m1 * m2) / r^2
Where m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects, and r is the distance between their centers.
From this equation, we can see that if the distance (r) increases, the denominator of the fraction increases, making the whole fraction smaller. As a result, the gravitational force between the objects decreases. This is why the statement, "If the distance between two objects increases, the gravitational force between the objects will decrease," supports the person's initial statement that the gravitational force depends on the distance between the objects.