Question

Which of the following is true about the gravitational force acting between the earth and the sun?

(a) The magnitude of the force will be higher on the earth because it is smaller than the sun

(b) The magnitude of the force will be higher on the sun because it is larger than the earth

(c) The magnitude of the force will get larger as the earth moves farther away form the sun

(d) The magnitude of the force at any given time will equal on both objects

Answer 1

Answer : (d) The magnitude of the force at any given time will equal on both objects.

Because,

the gravitational force acting between the earth and the sun will be Action reaction pair.

And, According to the Newton's Third law of motion : For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

The statement means that in every interaction, there is a pair of forces acting on the two interacting objects. The size of the forces on the first object equals the size of the force on the second object.

Here, The gravitational force on the earth due to the sun will be equal in magnitude to the gravitational force acting on the sun due to the earth.