Question

when two objects move closer together, what happens to the gravitational pull between them? it increases it decreases

Explanation:

Step1: Recall Newton's law of universal gravitation

The formula is \(F = G\frac{m_1m_2}{r^2}\), where \(F\) is the gravitational force, \(G\) is the gravitational constant, \(m_1\) and \(m_2\) are the masses of the two objects, and \(r\) is the distance between their centers of mass.

Step2: Analyze the effect of decreasing \(r\)

When the two objects move closer together, \(r\) decreases. Since \(F\) is inversely proportional to \(r^2\) (\(F\propto\frac{1}{r^2}\)), as \(r\) becomes smaller, \(\frac{1}{r^2}\) becomes larger.

Answer:

it increases