If the magnitude of the gravitational force of the Earth on the Moon is F, the magnitude of the gravitational force of the moon on Earth is:
A) Smaller than F
B) Larger than F
C) Equal to F
Please explain!
2006-09-25 15:51:59 · 6 answers · asked by Purity 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Homework Help
I say it is C, otherwise one would pull the other out of orbit.
Remeber Newton's third Law of Motion:
Third law
To every action (force applied) there is an equal but opposite reaction (equal force applied in the opposite direction).
So the moon is pulling on the earth with the same force as the earth is pulling on the moon.
You are pulling on the earth the same amount as the earth is pulling on you (gravity forces). If the earth were pulling more than you were, you would go right through the floor. And if the earth were pulling less than your body mass was pulling on it, you would most likely be flying around the room.
If you've gotten to it yet, The formula for the force of attraction (F) between two bodies is:
F = G Mm / r^2
- where -
M and m are the masses of the bodies in kilograms
r is the distance in metres between the centres of mass of the bodies
G is the Universal Gravitational Constant of about 6·67 × 10-11 Nm2/kg2*
(That's about 0.0000000000667 newton metres2 per kilogram2.)
But Look at the formula, the force F is the same for both masses, because the mass (M and m) of both objects is included.
2006-09-25 16:13:40 · answer #1 · answered by captn_carrot 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The answer is A because the gravitational force of the earth is stronger than that of the moon.
2006-09-25 15:57:48 · answer #2 · answered by jamzm2002 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My guess is that it is smaller than F because the moon is smaller than the earth. Maybe F/6
2006-09-25 15:59:02 · answer #3 · answered by Max 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my dad says it is larger then F..he is guessing tis becasue the earth ahs more rotation than the earth..he said get on nasa.com and ask that question..he is not for sure if this is the right answer but that is what he is thinking..but like i said go to nasa.com and ask..
now he is saying smaller than f..jsut go to that website
2006-09-25 15:58:28 · answer #4 · answered by mother of two 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
c- because mass doesn't change
or some thing?
2006-09-25 15:58:04 · answer #5 · answered by bethkakid777 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i wanna say c but im not completely sure
2006-09-25 15:54:16 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋