What happens to an object with a smaller passive gravitational mass in a gravitational field?

What happens to an object with a smaller passive gravitational mass in a gravitational field?

• A. It will experience a smaller force
• B. It will experience no force
• C. It will experience a greater force
• D. It will experience force only in motion

Answer: (A)

An object with smaller passive gravitational mass in a gravitational field will experience a smaller force due to the relationship defined by Newton's law of universal gravitation. This law states that the gravitational force (F) between two masses (m1 and m2) is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance (r) between their centers, expressed mathematically as F = G(m1 * m2) / r². In this context, passive gravitational mass is essentially a measure of how much gravitational force an object will respond to when in a gravitational field. If an object has a smaller passive gravitational mass, the product of its mass with the gravitational field strength will be smaller compared to an object with a larger mass. As a consequence, the gravitational force acting on it, which can be defined as the weight of the object, will also be smaller. Therefore, an object with a smaller passive gravitational mass will indeed experience a smaller gravitational force when in the same gravitational field compared to an object with a larger mass.

An object with smaller passive gravitational mass in a gravitational field will experience a smaller force due to the relationship defined by Newton's law of universal gravitation. This law states that the gravitational force (F) between two masses (m1 and m2) is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance (r) between their centers, expressed mathematically as F = G(m1 * m2) / r².

In this context, passive gravitational mass is essentially a measure of how much gravitational force an object will respond to when in a gravitational field. If an object has a smaller passive gravitational mass, the product of its mass with the gravitational field strength will be smaller compared to an object with a larger mass. As a consequence, the gravitational force acting on it, which can be defined as the weight of the object, will also be smaller. Therefore, an object with a smaller passive gravitational mass will indeed experience a smaller gravitational force when in the same gravitational field compared to an object with a larger mass.