Two astronauts are floating in gravitational free space after having ...
Explanation:
In order to understand why the astronauts will move towards each other, we need to consider the concept of gravitational forces and the principle of conservation of momentum.
Gravitational Forces:
Gravitational forces exist between any two objects with mass. The force of gravity is attractive and acts towards the center of mass of each object. In this case, the two astronauts have mass and therefore experience a gravitational force between them.
Conservation of Momentum:
According to the principle of conservation of momentum, the total momentum of an isolated system remains constant unless acted upon by external forces. In the absence of external forces, the total momentum before and after an event will be the same.
Analysis:
In this scenario, the two astronauts are in gravitational free space, meaning there are no external forces acting on them. Therefore, the total momentum of the system will remain constant.
Initially, the two astronauts are at rest, so their initial momentum is zero. As they are not in contact with any external objects, the only forces acting on them are the gravitational forces between them.
The gravitational force between the astronauts will cause them to accelerate towards each other. As they accelerate towards each other, their distance decreases, resulting in an increase in the gravitational force between them. This acceleration will continue until they come into contact with each other or another external force acts upon them.
Conclusion:
Based on the principles of gravitational forces and conservation of momentum, the astronauts will move towards each other. This is because the attractive gravitational force between them causes them to accelerate towards one another.
Two astronauts are floating in gravitational free space after having ...
Since two astronauts are floating in gravitational free space. The only force acting on the two astronauts is the gravitational pull of their masses,
F = Gm1m2,
which is attractive in nature.
Hence they move towards each other.
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