The following question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B Part A Tama knows that gravitational force exists between objects that are not in contact with each other. She is investigating gravitational force using two objects that are of equal mass. The two obje distance of 5 ft apart from each other What will MOST LIKELY occur if Tamra increases the distance between the objects to 10 ft? A. The gravitational force will not change B. The gravitational force will increase C. The gravitational force will disappear D. The gravitational force will decrease

## Step 1<br />The problem is based on the concept of gravitational force, which is a fundamental principle in physics. According to Newton's law of universal gravitation, the gravitational force between two objects is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers. This relationship is mathematically represented as:<br />### \(F = G \frac{m1 \cdot m2}{r^2}\)<br />where \(F\) is the gravitational force, \(G\) is the gravitational constant, \(m1\) and \(m2\) are the masses of the two objects, and \(r\) is the distance between the centers of the two objects.<br /><br />## Step 2<br />In this problem, Tamra is investigating the gravitational force between two objects of equal mass that are initially 5 feet apart. If she increases the distance between the objects to 10 feet, the denominator of the equation (which is \(r^2\)) will double. <br /><br />## Step 3<br />Since the gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance, if the distance is doubled, the gravitational force will decrease to one-fourth of its original value. This is because the square of 10 feet is four times the square of 5 feet.