Jill's weight is 500 newtons. If Earth gravitationally collapses from its present radius of 6000 km down to a radius of only 600 km, Jill's weight would then be
A) 5000 newtons.
B) unchanged.
C) 2000 newtons.
D) 50,000 newtons.
E) 5 newtons.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Jill's weight would increase because gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the center of the Earth. If the radius decreases by a factor of 10, the gravitational force (and thus her weight) increases by a factor of 100, making her weight 50,000 newtons.

Jill's Weight Is 500 Newtons