Suppose that a planet of the same mass as Earth were orbiting the Sun at a distance of 10 au. The gravitational force on this planet due to the Sun would be
A) 1/100 of the gravitational force the Sun exerts on Earth.
B) 100 times the gravitational force the Sun exerts on Earth.
C) 1/10 of the gravitational force the Sun exerts on Earth.
D) 10 times the gravitational force the Sun exerts on Earth.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The gravitational force between two objects is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. If the distance is increased by a factor of 10 (from 1 au to 10 au), the gravitational force is reduced by a factor of $10^2 = 100$, making it 1/100 of the original force.

Suppose That a Planet of the Same Mass as Earth