Question

question 20 (multiple choice worth 3 points) oss.02when a spacecraft travels towards earth, the gravitational force acting on it increases decreases increases first and then decreases decreases first and then increases

Explanation:

The gravitational force between two objects is given by Newton's law of universal gravitation, \( F = G\frac{m_1m_2}{r^2} \), where \( G \) is the gravitational constant, \( m_1 \) and \( m_2 \) are the masses of the two objects, and \( r \) is the distance between their centers. When a spacecraft travels towards Earth, the distance \( r \) between the spacecraft and Earth's center decreases. Since the force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance (\( F \propto \frac{1}{r^2} \)), as \( r \) decreases, the gravitational force \( F \) acting on the spacecraft increases.

Answer:

A. increases