Question

exam lesson name: motion and forces
exam number: 700696rr
exam guidelines
exam instructions
question 10 of 20 :
select the best answer for the question.

1. which one of the following accurately describes the universal gravitational law?

a. solid bodies attract other solid bodies, but liquid and gas dont participate in universal gravitation.
b. every object that has mass attracts other objects within a million-mile radius.
c. as the distance between any two bodies increases, the gravitational force between them decreases.
d. objects with small masses have more gravitational attraction to each other than objects with large masses.
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Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option using the universal law of gravitation ($F = G\frac{m_1m_2}{r^2}$, where $F$ is gravitational force, $G$ is gravitational constant, $m_1, m_2$ are masses, and $r$ is the distance between them):

• Option A: Universal gravitation applies to all objects with mass (solids, liquids, gases), so A is wrong.
• Option B: Gravitational force extends infinitely (not limited to a million - mile radius), so B is wrong.
• Option C: From $F = G\frac{m_1m_2}{r^2}$, as $r$ (distance) increases, $F$ (gravitational force) decreases (since $r^2$ is in the denominator). This matches the law.
• Option D: From the formula, larger masses ($m_1, m_2$) lead to larger $F$. So small - mass objects have less gravitational attraction, making D wrong.

Answer:

C. As the distance between any two bodies increases, the gravitational force between them decreases.