Question

The acceleration due to gravity of the moon is 1 6 times that of the earth. If the earth attracts the moon with a force of ‘F’ then the moon will attract the earth with a force of:

Answer 1

If the earth attracts the moon with a force of ‘F’ then the moon will attract the earth with a force of 'F' itself .

Explanation:  

• From Newton's Third Law of Motion which states that every action has an equal and an opposite reaction.

• From Law of Universal Gravitation, we know that the force between any two physical quantities remains the same.

• Thus, from the above two laws we can conclude that the gravitational force that the Earth exerts on the Moon is exactly the same as the force the Moon exerts on the Earth.

        F($_{MOON}$) = F($_{EARTH}$)

      ∴ The moon attracts the earth with a gravitational force of F itself.