Question

1. explain phenomena a 4 - kg ball is 2 cm away from one 1 - kg ball and 6 cm away from another 1 - kg ball. use the relationships among the balls to describe two factors that affect gravity. also explain why the balls do not move toward each other unless acted upon by another force.

Explanation:

• Mass: The 4 - kg ball has a greater mass than the 1 - kg balls. According to Newton's law of universal gravitation \(F = G\frac{m_1m_2}{r^{2}}\) (where \(F\) is the gravitational force, \(G\) is the gravitational constant, \(m_1\) and \(m_2\) are the masses of two objects, and \(r\) is the distance between their centers), a larger mass (for one of the objects) leads to a larger gravitational force.
• Distance: The 4 - kg ball is closer (2 cm) to one 1 - kg ball than to the other (6 cm). Since \(F\propto\frac{1}{r^{2}}\) (from the gravitational force formula), a smaller distance \(r\) results in a larger gravitational force.
• Why no movement without an additional force: The gravitational constant \(G = 6.67\times 10^{- 11}\space N\cdot m^{2}/kg^{2}\). For small masses (like 1 kg and 4 kg) and relatively large distances (on a non - astronomical scale, 2 cm = 0.02 m and 6 cm=0.06 m), the calculated gravitational force \(F\) (using \(F = G\frac{m_1m_2}{r^{2}}\)) is extremely tiny. This force is much smaller than other forces like static friction (which keeps the balls in place until an external force overcomes it), so the balls do not move on their own due to gravity alone.

Answer:

The two factors that affect gravity are mass and distance. The balls do not move toward each other unless acted upon by another force because the gravitational force between them is extremely small.