Question

The force of gravitation between two bodies does not depend on:

• A. their separation
• B. the product of their masses
• C. the sum of their masses
• D. the gravitational constant

Hint:

Always remember Newton’s law of gravitation: [ F propto fracm1 m2r^2 ] Only the textbfproduct of masses matters, not their sum.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Recall Newton’s law of gravitation. The gravitational force between two bodies is given by: \[ F = G \frac{m_1 m_2}{r^2} \] where \(m_1, m_2\) = masses of the bodies, \(r\) = distance between their centres, \(G\) = gravitational constant. Step 2: Identify the dependent quantities. From the formula, the force depends on:

the product of the masses \((m_1 m_2)\)
the separation between the bodies \((r)\)
the gravitational constant \((G)\)
Step 3: Identify what it does \emph{not} depend on. The formula does not contain the sum of the masses \((m_1 + m_2)\). Step 4: Final conclusion. The force of gravitation does not depend on \(\boxed{\text{the sum of their masses}}\).