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Conceptual Questions on Gravitational Force

Total questions: 43

Worksheet time: 22mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which statement best describes the cause of gravity?

a)

Gravity arises from surface area alone

b)

Gravity arises from object charge alone

c)

Gravity arises from object mass alone

d)

Gravity arises from object temperature

2.

Why does the Moon have weaker gravity than Earth?

a)

It has no atmosphere at all

b)

It is farther from the Sun

c)

It rotates slower than Earth

d)

It has less mass than Earth

3.

A feather falls slowly compared to a stone mainly because

a)

Air resistance is significant for feathers

b)

Gravity does not act on feathers

c)

Feathers have zero weight in air

d)

Feathers have much smaller mass

4.

Which statement about the importance of gravity is most accurate?

a)

Gravity exists only near stars

b)

Gravity only affects ocean tides

c)

Gravity only keeps birds aloft

d)

Gravity enables formation of planets

5.

What primarily leads to black hole formation?

a)

Fusion inside small dwarf planets

b)

Cooling of interstellar gas clouds

c)

Rapid planetary accretion events

d)

Collapse of very massive stars

6.

Two identical masses are placed apart on a line. Points A, B, C, and D lie along the line, with C midway between them and A, B, D equidistant from the nearer mass. Where is the gravitational field weakest?

a)

At point D near the right mass

b)

At point B near the left mass

c)

At point A near the left mass

d)

At point C between the masses

7.

Which statement is correct about mass and weight?

a)

Both mass and weight can be zero

b)

Weight cannot be zero; mass can be zero

c)

Mass cannot be zero; weight can be zero

d)

Neither mass nor weight can be zero

8.

Which pair correctly matches SI units of mass and weight?

a)

Newton for both mass and weight

b)

Kilogram for both mass and weight

c)

Newton for mass, kilogram for weight

d)

Kilogram for mass, newton for weight

9.

Which property accurately distinguishes mass from weight?

a)

Mass is constant; weight varies by location

b)

Mass varies by location; weight is constant

c)

Both vary by location equally

d)

Both remain constant everywhere

10.

Why is an object’s weight on the Moon about one-sixth of its Earth weight?

a)

Moon’s atmosphere is thicker than Earth’s

b)

Moon spins faster reducing effective weight

c)

Moon’s g is smaller due to lower mass and radius

d)

Moon is closer to the Sun increasing tides

11.

By what factor does gravitational force change when the distance between two masses is halved?

a)

It becomes one-fourth as large

b)

It becomes half as large

c)

It becomes twice as large

d)

It becomes four times larger

12.

Two bodies attract each other gravitationally. Which statement about the magnitudes of the forces each exerts on the other is correct?

a)

Earth pulls moon with larger magnitude

b)

Moon pulls earth with larger magnitude

c)

Both exert equal magnitude forces

d)

Magnitudes vary randomly over time

13.

If the moon attracts the earth, why doesn’t the earth visibly accelerate toward the moon?

a)

Earth’s mass is enormous

b)

Moon’s gravity is repulsive

c)

Gravitational force cancels completely

d)

Distance makes gravity zero

14.

According to the universal law of gravitation, how does gravitational force change when the distance between two masses is doubled?

a)

Becomes half the original

b)

Remains exactly the same

c)

Becomes one-fourth the original

d)

Becomes double the original

15.

According to the universal law of gravitation, how does gravitational force change when the distance between two masses is tripled?

a)

Becomes one-sixth the original

b)

Becomes one-third the original

c)

Becomes nine times the original

d)

Becomes one-ninth the original

16.

If one of two interacting masses is doubled while the other and distance remain fixed, what happens to the gravitational force between them?

a)

Stays unchanged overall

b)

Increases by a factor of two

c)

Decreases by a factor of two

d)

Increases by a factor of four

17.

If both masses in a gravitational interaction are doubled and separation is unchanged, what happens to the force?

a)

Decreases twofold overall

b)

Increases fourfold overall

c)

Increases twofold overall

d)

Remains exactly unchanged

18.

Weight is given by W = mg. If g is larger at the poles than at the equator, how will the weight of the same object compare?

a)

Exactly the same both places

b)

Heavier at the poles

c)

Heavier at the equator

d)

Zero at the equator

19.

Gravitational acceleration on the moon’s surface is about one-sixth that on Earth. What is the weight of a 10 kg mass on the moon if its weight on Earth is approximately 98 N?

a)

16.3 N approximately

b)

9.8 N approximately

c)

32.7 N approximately

d)

65.3 N approximately

20.

Why is G called the universal gravitational constant?

a)

It depends on the masses used

b)

It is identical in all locations

c)

It changes with separation distance

d)

It varies for each planet

21.

Why is the universal gravitational constant G described as universal?

a)

It is independent of bodies, space, and time

b)

It changes with place and time on Earth

c)

It depends on material and temperature conditions

d)

It varies with the size and nature of bodies

22.

At which location on Earth is a body's weight maximum, assuming identical altitude and conditions?

a)

At the poles

b)

At the equator

c)

At mid-latitudes

d)

At sea trenches

23.

At which location on Earth is a body's weight minimum, assuming identical altitude and conditions?

a)

At mid-latitudes

b)

At mountain summits

c)

At the equator

d)

At the poles

24.

Which statement best defines weight in physics?

a)

Weight is inertia resisting motion

b)

Weight is the force due to gravity

c)

Weight is volume times density

d)

Weight is mass measured in kilograms

25.

What primarily causes tides in seas and oceans?

a)

Wind-driven surface currents

b)

Thermal expansion of seawater

c)

Gravitational pull of Moon and Sun

d)

Earth’s internal pressure cycles

26.

Identical packets are dropped from airplanes at the equator and the north pole, both from height h with identical conditions. Which will reach the ground first and why?

a)

Equator, because air density is always lower

b)

Both, because g is constant everywhere

c)

Pole, because g is larger at poles

d)

Equator, because g is larger at equator

27.

If Earth’s radius doubles with no change in mass, what happens to your weight at the surface? Use W=GMmr2W = \frac{GMm}{r^2} .

a)

It remains exactly the same

b)

It becomes four times the original

c)

It becomes one-fourth of original

d)

It becomes one-half of original

28.

Two bodies P and Q are placed at the same distance from Earth’s center and experience equal gravitational force from Earth. What can be concluded about their masses?

a)

Heavier body feels less force

b)

Masses must be equal

c)

Conclusion requires their volumes

d)

Masses can be different

29.

Which factor most directly explains why g is smaller at the equator than at the poles?

a)

Higher atmospheric pressure at equator

b)

Lower Earth mass beneath equator

c)

Stronger lunar gravity at equator

d)

Greater distance from Earth’s center at equator

30.

Which statement correctly defines the acceleration due to gravity g?

a)

Acceleration a body gets due to Earth’s pull

b)

Rate of change of velocity from any force

c)

Force between two 1 kg masses 1 m apart

d)

Constant setting the scale of gravitational fields

31.

Which property distinguishes G from g?

a)

G is vector while g is scalar

b)

G varies with location on Earth

c)

G is universal constant with fixed value

d)

G depends on the celestial body’s radius

32.

A satellite moves from Earth to Mars. How does g compare to G during this change?

a)

Neither g nor G changes anywhere

b)

G changes while g remains the same

c)

Both g and G change significantly

d)

g changes while G remains the same

33.

At a point near Earth’s surface, which description best matches g and G regarding quantity type?

a)

Both are scalar constants in physics

b)

g is scalar whereas G is vector

c)

g is vector whereas G is scalar

d)

Both are vector quantities in mechanics

34.

A body experiences a weight of 9.8 N near Earth’s surface. What is its mass? Take g=9.8m/s2g = 9.8 m/s^2 .

a)

2 kg

b)

0.5 kg

c)

9.8 kg

d)

1 kg

35.

Two masses, 3 kg and 12 kg, are 12 m apart. Where should a 0.5 kg mass be placed along the line so the net gravitational force on it is zero?

a)

6 m from 3 kg mass

b)

3 m from 3 kg mass

c)

4 m from 3 kg mass

d)

8 m from 3 kg mass

36.

Using F = Gm1m2/r2G m1 m2 / r^2 , what happens to gravitational force if the distance between two fixed masses is doubled?

a)

Force becomes half

b)

Force becomes one-fourth

c)

Force becomes one-eighth

d)

Force stays unchanged

37.

Which statement best describes gravitational force between two point masses?

a)

Inversely proportional to distance squared

b)

Inversely proportional to distance

c)

Directly proportional to distance

d)

Independent of distance

38.

Identify a correct property of gravitational force.

a)

It acts only on charged bodies

b)

It requires physical contact to act

c)

It is always attractive and weakest

d)

It can be repulsive in vacuum

39.

If the net gravitational force on a small mass between two larger masses is zero, what equality holds for magnitudes?

a)

Force equals zero only at midpoint

b)

Sum of forces equals mass ratio

c)

F from left equals F from right

d)

F from left equals mass of right

40.

A constant downward force of 20 N acts on a body, and its weight is measured as 9.8 N. Which quantity equals 1 kg?

a)

Its inertial mass

b)

Its force of gravity

c)

Its normal reaction

d)

Its gravitational field

41.

A trader buys and sells gold priced per unit weight at different altitudes. To maximize profit using gravity’s effect on weight, which strategy is correct?

a)

Buy high altitude then sell same altitude

b)

Buy high altitude then sell low altitude

c)

Buy low altitude then sell high altitude

d)

Buy low altitude then sell same altitude

e)

Buy orbit altitude then sell mountain altitude

42.

Jupiter’s mass is roughly 300 times Earth’s, but its radius is about ten times Earth’s. Using g ∝ M/R2M/R^2 , which estimate best explains a 500 N person on Earth weighing about 1500 N on Jupiter?

a)

Weight depends only on radius, not mass

b)

10× radius decreases weight by 10× only

c)

300× mass and 10× radius net about 3×

d)

Mass and radius changes cancel completely

e)

300× mass increases weight 300× exactly

43.

Which statement correctly distinguishes mass and weight in these scenarios?

a)

Weight equals mass times velocity at the surface

b)

Mass depends on planet radius; weight does not

c)

Weight and mass are identical physical quantities

d)

Mass changes with altitude while weight stays constant

e)

Weight is gravitational force; mass measures inertia