Half-way to the center of a planet of uniform density, your weight compared to that at the surface would be
A)one-quarter.
B)one-half.
C)three-quarters.
D)the same as at the surface.
E)zero.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to the inverse square law, the force of gravity decreases as the square of the distance between two objects increases. This means that the further you are from the center of the planet, the weaker gravity is. At the halfway point, you are twice as far from the center as you are at the surface, so gravity is four times weaker. Since weight is the force of gravity on an object, your weight would be one-half of what it is at the surface. Therefore, the best choice is B (one-half).

Half-Way to the Center of a Planet of Uniform Density