Question

what would most likely happen if the moon was suddenly unaffected by earths gravity? the moon would travel in a straight line in the direction of its forward motion. the moon would travel in the opposite direction around earth. the moon would stay in a stable, curved orbit around earth. the moon would crash into earth.

Explanation:

According to Newton's first law of motion, an object in motion will continue in motion with a constant velocity (in a straight line) unless acted upon by an external force. The Moon is in motion around the Earth due to the gravitational force of the Earth acting as a centripetal force. If the Moon was suddenly unaffected by Earth's gravity (i.e., the centripetal force is removed), there would be no force to change its direction of motion. So, it would travel in a straight line in the direction of its forward motion at that instant.

Answer:

The Moon would travel in a straight line in the direction of its forward motion.