Question

10 if the mass was added to the satellite, how would the gravitational attraction between it and earth be affected?
a the gravitational atraction would increase
b the gravitational attraction would decrease
c the gravitational attraction would stay the same
d there is no gravitational attraction between earth and a satellite in space

Explanation:

Step1: Recall Newton's law of universal gravitation

The formula for gravitational force is \(F = G\frac{Mm}{r^{2}}\), where \(G\) is the gravitational constant, \(M\) is the mass of the Earth, \(m\) is the mass of the satellite, and \(r\) is the distance between the centers of the Earth and the satellite.

Step2: Analyze the effect of adding mass to the satellite

When mass \(m\) (of the satellite) is increased (while \(M\), \(G\), and \(r\) remain constant), according to the formula \(F = G\frac{Mm}{r^{2}}\), the gravitational force \(F\) will increase.

Answer:

A. The gravitational attraction would increase