Earth and the Moon are attracted to each other by gravitational force. Does the more massive Earth attract the less massive Moon with a force that is greater, smaller, or the same as the force with which the Moon attracts Earth? (With an elastic band stretched between your thumb and forefinger, which is pulled more strongly by the band: your thumb or your forefinger?)

Question

Physics

William Case

15 March, 14:45

Earth and the Moon are attracted to each other by gravitational force. Does the more massive Earth attract the less massive Moon with a force that is greater, smaller, or the same as the force with which the Moon attracts Earth? (With an elastic band stretched between your thumb and forefinger, which is pulled more strongly by the band: your thumb or your forefinger?)

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Answers (1)

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Corbin Obrien · Answer 1

It would be the same force

Explanation:

According to Newton's 3rd law, action and reaction force would have the same magnitude and opposite direction. So in our case the force by Earth that pulls on the moon would have the same magnitude as the force by Moon that pulls on the Earth.

Also according to Newton's gravitational law, the force is directly proportional to the product of the masses of Earth and Moon, irrespective to their position.