(i) State the universal law of gravitation, writing the expression for the magnitude…
PHYSICS · Subjective · A Level · Physics · Fields and their consequences · Fields and their consequences
Problem
(i) State the universal law of gravitation, writing the expression for the magnitude of the force between two point masses.
(ii) For two given masses, the force of attraction is F when their centres are separated by a distance r. If the separation is reduced to 0.99r, show that the new force F′ is approximately 1.020F. Hence obtain the percentage change in the force produced by the 1 % decrease in separation.
(iii) Explain physically why even a very small percentage change in the distance between two bodies produces a comparatively larger percentage change in the gravitational force between them.