Suppose the Earth were moved to Mercury's distance from the Sun (0.4 AU).How would the gravitational force between the Earth and Sun then compare to its present value?
A)It would be the same
B)It would be about 2.5 times as strong
C)It would be about 6 times as strong
D)It would be about 0.4 times as strong

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to the law of universal gravitation, 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 them. Since the distance between the Earth and Sun changes from 1 AU to 0.4 AU, the gravitational force between them would be [(1/0.4)^2] = 6.25 times as strong as its present value.

Suppose the Earth Were Moved to Mercury's Distance from the Sun