Two objects move toward each other because of gravitational attraction. As the objects get closer and closer, the force between them _____.

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The concept at play is the gravitational force between two masses, which follows Newton's law of universal gravitation: F ∝ m1 m2 / r^2. As the objects move toward each other, the separation distance r decreases, and because r is in the denominator squared, the force magnitude increases.
Option a: 'decreases' would imply that bringing the objects closer reduces the gravitational interaction, which contradicts the inverse-square relationship. Therefore this statement is incorrect.
Option b: 'remains constant' would mean the force does not change with distance, which is false because the force depends on r and specifically grows as r shrinks. This option misstates the distance dependence.
Option c: 'increases' accurately reflects the inverse-square law: as r decreases, F increases. This matches the physical behavior described by gravity when objects approach one another.
In summary, only the statement describing the force as increasing with decreasing separation aligns with Newtonian gravity, while the other two options contradict the fundamental distance dependence of the gravitational force.

MUF0121 Physics Unit 1 - Semester 2, 2025 9.5 Universal gravitation

Two objects move toward each other because of gravitational attraction. As the objects get closer and closer, the force between them _____.

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