Question

four identical drones are flown at different altitudes (height from earth’s surface) as shown in the data below. which drone experiences the greatest gravitational attraction towards the earth? a. drone a b. drone b c. drone c d. drone d

Explanation:

Step1: Recall gravitational - force formula

The gravitational force \(F = G\frac{Mm}{r^{2}}\), where \(G\) is the gravitational constant, \(M\) is the mass of the Earth, \(m\) is the mass of the drone, and \(r\) is the distance from the center of the Earth to the drone. For drones near the Earth's surface, \(r=R + h\), where \(R\) is the radius of the Earth and \(h\) is the altitude of the drone. Since \(G\), \(M\), and \(m\) are constant for these identical drones, \(F\) is inversely proportional to \(r^{2}\) (or \((R + h)^{2}\)).

Step2: Compare altitudes

The lower the altitude \(h\), the smaller the value of \(r\) (distance from the center of the Earth to the drone). Drone A has the lowest altitude (\(h = 1000m\)) among the four drones. So, it has the smallest \(r\) value and thus experiences the greatest gravitational attraction towards the Earth.

Answer:

A. Drone A