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The moon ad earth are attracted to each other by gravitational force. Does the more-massive earth attract the moon with a greater force than the moon attracts the earth?

Don't really understand, please help.

2007-11-12 09:10:13 · 5 answers · asked by Up There 2 in Science & Mathematics Physics

5 answers

According to Newton's First Law, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Ergo, the moon attracts the Earth exactly at the same force that the Earth attracts the moon.

Think about it on a smaller level - you attract the Earth exactly the same amount that the Earth attracts you (i.e. your weight). Same thing for the moon.

Mathematically speaking, gravity equals:
F = G*m1*m2/R^2
Meaning that the force between two masses is proportional to their multiplication, regardless which one is the attracting one and which one is the attracted one (multiplication is commutative).

2007-11-12 09:19:30 · answer #1 · answered by talr 4 · 1 0

If you pull on one end of a string, and somebody else pulls on the other end, the force is the same at both ends.

The gravitational force between two objects depends on both masses and the distance between them.
I.e:
F= G x m1 x m2 / d^2
Where G is the universal gravitational constant, which is
6.637 newton-meter^2 / kg^2.
You have to put in both the earth and moon masses, and you only get one force.

If you travel between the earth and moon, the moon attracts you with a different force than the earth does, because the moon has much less mass. The formula for the force between you and the earth is the same. You just put your mass in for one of the masses. You also calculate the force between you and the moon with the same formula. As you get closer to the moon, the attraction to the moon increases and the attraction to the earth decreases because of the change in d.

2007-11-12 09:28:57 · answer #2 · answered by mr.perfesser 5 · 0 0

The earth has more mass than the moon, so the earth's gravitational pull is stronger on the moon. There is a delicate balance between the pull and the orbit of the moon. The moon is slowly moving further from the earth due to it's orbit.

2007-11-12 09:18:05 · answer #3 · answered by dude 7 · 0 0

They allure to a minimum of one yet another with the comparable quantity of tension. in spite of the reality that the Moon's gravitational effect is proportionally smaller, it fairly is appearing on a proportionally larger quantity of mass, and over the comparable distance. in certainty, there is no longer in all probability 2 forces right here. It makes greater experience to evaluate a tension as being between 2 products, quite than projected with the aid of one upon yet another. So there is in basic terms a single gravitational tension, with a single fee, between the Earth and the Moon.

2016-12-16 06:37:56 · answer #4 · answered by lacue 4 · 0 0

hey it's too easy
the bigger attracts the smaller
and the smaller escaping the bigger
they are two equaled forces
but with different directions

2007-11-12 09:19:50 · answer #5 · answered by Kazarolla 4 · 1 0

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