Answered

Two laptop computers each have a mass of [tex][tex]$2 \, kg$[/tex][/tex]. If they are [tex][tex]$0.5 \, m$[/tex][/tex] apart on a desk, what is the gravitational force between them? [tex]G = 6.67 \times 10^{-11} \, N \cdot (m/kg)^2[/tex]

A. [tex]2.14 \times 10^{-10} \, N[/tex]
B. [tex]1.07 \times 10^{-10} \, N[/tex]
C. [tex]2.14 \times 10^{-9} \, N[/tex]
D. [tex]1.07 \times 10^{-9} \, N[/tex]



Answer :

Let's determine the gravitational force between two laptop computers with a mass of [tex]\(2 \, \text{kg}\)[/tex] each, separated by a distance of [tex]\(0.5 \, \text{m}\)[/tex]. We will use the gravitational force formula:

[tex]\[ F = G \frac{m_1 \cdot m_2}{r^2} \][/tex]

Where:
- [tex]\(F\)[/tex] is the gravitational force.
- [tex]\(G\)[/tex] is the gravitational constant, [tex]\(6.67 \times 10^{-11} \, \text{N} \cdot (\text{m}/\text{kg})^2\)[/tex].
- [tex]\(m_1\)[/tex] and [tex]\(m_2\)[/tex] are the masses of the two objects, each [tex]\(2 \, \text{kg}\)[/tex] in this case.
- [tex]\(r\)[/tex] is the distance between the two objects, [tex]\(0.5 \, \text{m}\)[/tex].

First, substitute the known values into the formula:

[tex]\[ F = (6.67 \times 10^{-11}) \frac{2 \times 2}{(0.5)^2} \][/tex]

Calculate the denominator:

[tex]\[ (0.5)^2 = 0.25 \][/tex]

Now calculate the numerator:

[tex]\[ 2 \times 2 = 4 \][/tex]

Next, compute the fraction:

[tex]\[ \frac{4}{0.25} = 16 \][/tex]

Finally, multiply by the gravitational constant:

[tex]\[ F = 6.67 \times 10^{-11} \times 16 \][/tex]

To find the final value:

[tex]\[ F = 1.0672 \times 10^{-9} \, \text{N} \][/tex]

This means that the gravitational force between the two laptops is [tex]\(1.0672 \times 10^{-9} \, \text{N}\)[/tex].

Thus, the correct answer is:

D. [tex]\(1.07 \times 10^{-9} \, \text{N}\)[/tex]