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Home Concept Builders Circular and Satellite Motion Universal Gravitation Help Help 2

Universal Gravitation - Questions 2 Help

A Physics formula is more than just an algebraic recipe for solving word problems. It is a guide to thinking about how a change in one variable would alter another variable. In the case of the universal gravitation equation, the gravitational force exerted between two objects is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of their separation distance.

There are three similar versions of this question. Here is one of those versions:
 

Version 1:

Objects 1 and 2 attract each other with a gravitational force of 18.0 units. If the mass of Object 2 is tripled, then the new gravitational force will be _____ units.

You are provided a gravitational force value for two objects. You are then told that the mass of one of the objects is changed to three times its original value (i.e., "tripled"). You are asked to determine the new gravitational force that results from this "tripling". The Universal Gravitation law states that the gravitational force is directly proportional to the mass of each object. This means that an alteration in one of the masses would alter the force value by the same factor. Thus, a tripling of mass causes a tripling of gravitational force. And so your task is to take the given force value and change it by this tripling factor.

Try these links to The Physics Classroom Tutorial for more help with using Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation as a guide to thinking:

Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation

The Apple, the Moon, and the Inverse Square Law

Concept Builder Teacher Notes Directions