Neptune has a mass that is about 17 times the mass of Earth. The distance between the Sun and Neptune is about 30 point 1 times the distance between the Sun and Earth. If the gravitational force between the Sun and Earth is 3 point 5 x 10 to the 28th power cap n , which is closest to the force between Neptune and the Sun?
Answer
A
6 x 10 to the 27th power cap n
B
6 x 10 to the 29th power cap n
C
6 x 10 to the 28th power cap n
D
6 x 10 to the 26th power cap n
Explanation
Gravitational force is proportional to the product of the masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance. Neptune is 17 times Earth’s mass but about 30.1 times farther from the Sun, so the force is approximately 3.5 × 10²⁸ × 17 ÷ (30.1)² ≈ 6.6 × 10²⁶ N. The closest choice is 6 × 10²⁶ N.
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