Question

1. which of the following is not stated by newtons law of universal gravitation?

objects in the universe attract each other through gravitational force.
gravity pulls two people together.
as objects move closer to each other, the gravitational force between them lessens.
objects with greater masses have larger gravitational forces.

Explanation:

Newton's law of universal gravitation states that every object in the universe attracts every other object with a force \(F = G\frac{m_1m_2}{r^2}\), 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.

• Option 1: This is in line with the law as it mentions the gravitational - force of attraction between objects in the universe.
• Option 2: People are objects with mass, so gravity acts between them, which is consistent with the law.
• Option 3: According to \(F = G\frac{m_1m_2}{r^2}\), when \(r\) (distance) decreases, \(F\) (gravitational force) increases. So, the statement “As objects move closer to each other, the gravitational force between them lessens” is incorrect.
• Option 4: Since \(F\propto m_1m_2\) (from \(F = G\frac{m_1m_2}{r^2}\)), objects with greater masses (\(m_1\) and/or \(m_2\)) have larger gravitational forces.

Answer:

As objects move closer to each other, the gravitational force between them lessens.