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If separation doubles, how does Newtonian gravitational force change?

It becomes one quarter as strong.

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  1. It becomes one quarter ✔
  2. It becomes one half
  3. It becomes four times stronger

Why: Newtonian gravity follows an inverse-square law. Doubling center-to-center distance multiplies the force by one over two squared, which is one quarter.

Huh, didn't know that: The same inverse-square pattern describes how a star's light dims with distance.

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Gravity and distance have an inverse relationship, so they need space.
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References

Answer: It becomes one quarter. Newtonian gravity follows an inverse-square law. Doubling center-to-center distance multiplies the force by one over two squared, which is one quarter.

  1. Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation openstax.org/books/astronomy-2e/pages/3-3-newtons-universal-law-of-gravitation
    in proportion to the inverse square of their separation.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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