Question

the force of gravity between any two celestial objects can be determined using newton’s law of universal gravitation, which states that all objects in the universe are gravitationally attracted to each other. the gravitational force between two celestial objects depends on two factors: distance and mass. - the greater the distance between two objects, the weaker the gravitational force between them. - the greater the masses of the two objects, the stronger the gravitational force between them. each model below shows two stars at a different distance from each other. each star’s mass is shown in solar masses ($m_odot$). the sun has a mass of $1 m_odot$. a star twice as massive as the sun has a mass of $2 m_odot$. select the model that shows the stars with the strongest gravitational force between them.

Explanation:

To determine the strongest gravitational force, we use Newton’s law of universal gravitation: the force is stronger with greater mass and weaker with greater distance. All three models have stars with masses \(1M_\odot\) and \(2M_\odot\) (same total mass). The key is distance: the closer the stars, the stronger the force. The bottom model (blue - framed) has the shortest distance between the \(1M_\odot\) and \(2M_\odot\) stars. So, this model has the strongest gravitational force.

Answer:

The model with the \(1M_\odot\) and \(2M_\odot\) stars that are closest together (the bottom - framed model)