Mercury orbits the Sun with an average distance of 0.4 AU, and its mass is 0.06 times that of the Earth. The gravitational force that the Sun exerts on Mercury is _______________ times the force of gravity that the Sun exerts on the Earth.
A) 20
B) 6
C) 4
D) 0.4
E) 0.1

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

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. In this case, Mercury's mass is 0.06 times that of the Earth, and its average distance from the Sun is 0.4 AU. Therefore, the gravitational force that the Sun exerts on Mercury is 0.06 * (1/0.4)^2 = 0.4 times the force of gravity that the Sun exerts on the Earth.

Mercury Orbits the Sun with an Average Distance of 0