78 questions
Newton discovered
gravity
that gravity is universal
neither of these
both of these
According to Newton, the greater the masses of interacting objects, the
less the gravitational force between them
greater the gravitational force between them
greater the force between them by the square of the masses
all of the above
According to Newton, when the distance between two interacting objects doubles, the gravitational force is
one half
one fourth
the same
twice as much
If Earth's radius somehow increased with no change in mass, your weight would
increase also
decrease
stay the same
all of the above
What is the force of gravity on a 500-N woman standing on Earth's surface?
50 N
250 N
500 N
none of these
If the mass of Earth somehow increased with no change in radius, your weight would
increase also
decrease
stay the same
all of these
If the Sun were twice as massive
its pull on Earth would double
the pull of Earth on the Sun would double
both of these
neither of these
A very massive object A and a less massive object B move toward each other under the influence of gravity. Which force, if either, is greater?
the force on A
the force on B
both forces are the same
Two objects move toward each other due to gravity. As the objects get closer and closer, the force between them
increases
decreases
remains constant
To make a profit, a business student purchases metal by weight at one altitude and sells it at the same price per pound at another altitude. The student should
buy at a high altitude and sell at a low altitude
buy at a low altitude and sell at a high altitude.
it makes no difference
The difference between Newton's law as a proportion and an equation involves
the constant G
the equal sign
one being a vector and the other not
magnitude and direction
The universal gravitational constant G was first measured
before Newton's time
by Newton
after Newton's time
In comparison with other fundamental forces, the universal gravitational constant G indicates that gravity is
very weak
strong
very strong
The force of Earth's gravity on a capsule in space will lessen as it moves farther away. If the capsule moves to twice its distance, the force toward Earth becomes
half
three-quarters
one fourth
none of the above
The force of Earth's gravity on a capsule in space increases as it comes closer. When the capsule moves to half its distance, the force toward Earth is then
twice
three times greater
four times greater
none of the abpove
As two objects moving toward each other due to gravity get closer, the acceleration of each
decreases
remains constant
increases
When the distance between two stars decreases by one-third, the force between them
decreases by one third
increases to twice as much
increases to 9 times as much
decreases by 1/9th
If Earth's mass decreased to one-half its original mass with no change in radius, then your weight would
a decrease to 1/4
decrease to half
stay the same
none of the above
Two planets in space gravitationally attract each other. Double the masses and the distance between them, and the force between them becomes
one fourth
half as much
four times as much
none of the above
A weight watcher who normally weighs 400 N stands on top of a very tall ladder so she is one Earth radius above Earth's surface. How much is her weight there?
0 N
100 N
200 N
400 N
The force of gravity acts on all apples on an apple tree. Some apples are twice as far from the ground as others. For the same mass these twice-as-high apples have
1/4 the weight
1/2 the weight
practically the same weight
The planet Jupiter is about 300 times as massive as Earth, yet on its surface you would weigh only about 3 times as much because
your mass is 100 times less on Jupiter.
Jupiter is significantly farther from the Sun.
Jupiter's radius is about 10 times Earth's radius.
you are 100 times more weightless there.
Your weight is the force
due to gravity only.
you exert against a supporting surface.
equal to your normal force on any surface.
When you weigh yourself on a bathroom scale on a slight incline instead of a level surface, your weight reading on the scale will be
less
no different
more
If you bounce up and down on a bathroom scale, what varies on the scale reading is
mg
the normal force
both
neither
Wobbles in the path of Uranus led to the discovery of
Jupiter
Mars
Neptune
none of these
You experience weightlessness
in the absence of a supporting surface.
momentarily when you step off a chair.
in a freely falling elevator
all of the above
You can experience weight
standing on Earth's surface
in an accelerating elevator away from Earth
in a rotating habitat in space
all of the above
Inside a freely-falling runaway elevator, your
acceleration is zero.
weight is zero
gravitational interaction with Earth is zero.
all of the above
Inside a freely-falling elevator, you would have no
gravitational force on you
weight
both of these
neither of these
Passengers in a high-flying jumbo jet feel their normal weight in flight, while passengers in an orbiting space vehicle do not, because passengers in the space vehicle are
beyond the main pull of Earth's gravity
above Earth's atmosphere
without support forces
all of the above
If the Sun became twice as massive, your attraction to the Sun would double and your weight as measured on Earth would
double
quadruple
not change
When you step on a weighing scale at noon, Earth pulls you downward and the overhead Sun pulls you upward. The reason the Sun's pull doesn't decrease your weight at noon is because
the Sun's pull on you is negligibly small
the weighing scale is calibrated only in Earth weight
you, the scale, and Earth are in free fall (in orbit) around the Sun
the Sun's pull is cancelled by the gravitation of other celestial bodies
Which pulls on the oceans of Earth with a greater force?
Moon
Sun
both pull equally
Which is most responsible for Earth's ocean tides?
Moon
Sun
both contribute equally
The main reason ocean tides exist is that Moon's pull is stronger
than the pull of the Sun.
on water closer to it than on water farther away
on Earth's oceans than on Earth itself
all of the above
Tidal forces in general are the result of
two or more sources of gravitation
a combination of any kind of forces acting on a body
unequal forces acting on different parts of a body
the inverse-square law
Tides caused mainly by the Moon occur in Earth's
oceans
atmosphere
interior
all of the above
Tidal bulges on the Moon involve the concept of
torques
elasticity
slight water on the Moon
magnetism
One side of the Moon continually facing Earth is
a passing phenomenon
a cosmic coincidence
tidal lock.
If the Moon had twice as much mass and still orbits Earth at the same distance, ocean bulges on Earth would be
smaller
larger
unequal in size
not significantly different
On each given day and location, tides rise and fall at
about the same time
exactly the same time
different times
During an eclipse of the Sun the high ocean tides on Earth are
extra high
extra low
not significantly different
The Earth is closer to the Sun in January than in July, which accounts for the fact that the highest high tides in the Northern Hemisphere occur in
winter
spring
summer
fall
The best time for digging clams (when the low tide is extra low) is during the time of the
new or full moon
half moon
quarter moon
Which produces a greater tidal effect in your body, the Moon or a 1-kg melon held at arm's length above your head?
the Moon
the melon
both about equally
Which of these three produces the greatest tidal effect on you right now?
the Moon
the Sun
the Earth
We do not observe tides in a community swimming pool because
gravitation on the small mass of water is negligibly small
it is shallow compared to the ocean
all parts of it are practically the same distance from the Moon
they are masked by the much stronger pull of Earth gravity
For lunar tides to occur in the human body
most of the body would have to be in the liquid state
Earth's gravitation would have to be incredibly small
parts of the body would have to be appreciably closer to the Moon than other parts
none of the above
The origin of any microtides in the human body is most likely the
Sun
Moon
Earth
If the Moon were covered with water, tidal effects caused by Earth would find the Moon with
1 tidal bulge
2 tidal bulges
3 tidal bulges
4 tidal bulges
Suppose the Moon had twice the diameter but the same mass and same orbital distance from Earth. In that case, the high tides on Earth would be
lower
unequal in size
higher
practically the same
There would be only one ocean tide per 24-hour day if the
Earth and Moon were equally massive
Moon were more massive than Earth
Sun's influence on the tides were negligible
none of the above
All places on Earth would have high tides at the same instant if the
Moon did not revolve
Moon did not rotate
Sun did not revolve
none of the above
Surrounding a magnet is a magnetic field. Surrounding an electron is an electric field. Surrounding Earth is
a gravitational field
an alteration in space in which mass experiences a force
both of these
Earth's gravitational field extends
only above and beyond Earth's surface and cancels inside Earth
both inside and outside Earth and throughout the entire universe
neither of these
The direction of a gravitational field is
in the same direction as gravitational attraction
away from the center of gravity of an object
opposite to the direction of gravitational attraction
The concept of force is fundamental to
Newton's theory of gravitation
Einstein's theory of gravitation
both of these
neither of these
An asteroid exerts a 360-N gravitational force on a nearby spacecraft. The 360-N force on the spacecraft is directed
toward the asteroid.
away from the asteroid
toward the Sun
An asteroid exerts a 360-N gravitational force on a nearby spacecraft. If the spacecraft moves to a position three times as far from the center of the asteroid, the force will be
zero
40 N
120 N
360 N
If your mass, the mass of Earth, and the mass of everything in the solar system were twice as much as it is now, yet everything stayed the same size, your weight on Earth would
be the same
double
quadruple
be eight times as much as now
The amount of gravitational force that acts on a space vehicle while in Earth orbit is
nearly zero.
nearly as much as the vehicle's weight on Earth's surface
the same as the vehicle's weight on Earth's surface
Rate this statement: No force due to Earth's gravity acts on astronauts inside the orbiting space station.
always true while in orbit
sometimes true while in orbit
always false
If an object is placed exactly halfway between Earth and the Moon, it would fall toward the
Earth
Moon
neither of these
How far must one travel to escape Earth's gravitational field?
to a region above Earth's atmosphere
to a region well beyond the Moon
to a region beyond the solar system
forget it; you can't travel far enough
The force of gravity acting on you will increase if you
burrow deep inside Earth
stand on a planet with a shrinking radius
both of these
neither of these
If you drop a stone into a hole drilled all the way to the other side of Earth (neglect the molten core), the stone will
come to an abrupt stop at Earth's center
speed up until it gets to Earth's center
speed up until it reaches Earth's other side
slow down until it reaches Earth's center
Half-way to the center of a planet of uniform density, your weight compared to that at the surface would be
one-quarter
one-half.
three-quarters
the same as at the surface
Half-way to the center of a completely hollow planet with a thin uniform shell, your weight would be
one-quarter of your weight on the surface
one-half of your weight on the surface
the same as at the surface
Zero
Each of us weighs a tiny bit less inside the ground floor of a skyscraper than we do on the ground away from the skyscraper because the
gravitational field is shielded inside the building
mass of the building above slightly attracts us upward
both of these
neither of these
A hollow spherical planet is inhabited by people who live inside it, where the gravitational field is zero. When a very massive spaceship lands on the planet's surface, inhabitants find that the gravitational field inside the planet is
still zero
non-zero, directed toward the spaceship
non-zero, directed away from the spaceship
Which rocket would require more fuel?
one going from the Moon to Earth
one going from Earth to the Moon
both the same
A black hole is
an empty region of space with a huge gravitational field
at the center if all stars.
the remains of a giant star that has undergone gravitational collapse
When a star collapses to form a black hole, its mass
increases
decreases
remains the same
If the Sun collapsed to a black hole, Earth's gravitational attraction to it would
increase
decrease
remain the same
Earth is presently accelerating toward the Sun (centripetal acceleration). If the Sun collapsed into a black hole, this acceleration would
increase
decrease
remain the same
An outcome of universal gravitation is that
planets aren't cubes with sharp corners
other laws of nature were discovered
planets were predicted and discovered
all of the above
Planets wobble in their orbits due to
uncertainties in the inverse-square law.
elliptical-orbit quirks.
all of these
the pull of other planets.