When the distance between a pair of stars decreases by half,the force between them
A)decreases by one-quarter.
B)decreases by one-half.
C)increases to twice as much.
D)increases to four times as much.
E)stays the same.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to Newton's Law of Gravitation, the force between two objects is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. If the distance between the stars decreases by half, then the denominator of the force equation (distance squared) decreases by a factor of 4. Therefore, the force between them increases by a factor of 4 (2 squared) if the masses remain the same.

When the Distance Between a Pair of Stars Decreases by Half,the