Q3 of 81 Page 223

If heavier bodies are attracted more strongly by the earth, why don’t they fall faster that the lighter bodies?

The acceleration of a body is independent of its mass. Let there be a body of mass , with acceleration . Let the mass of earth be , gravitational constant be , and the distance between the body and earth be . Therefore,



Hence, all bodies fall at the same rate towards the earth.


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1

Can two particles be in equilibrium under the action of their mutual gravitational force? Can three particles be? Can one of the three particles be?

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Is there any meaning of “Weight of the earth”?

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Can you think of two particles which do not exert gravitational force on each other?

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