If an object's mass doubles, what happens to the gravitational force near Earth's surface?

If an object's mass doubles, what happens to the gravitational force near Earth's surface?

• A. It stays the same
• B. It doubles
• C. It quadruples
• D. It halves

Answer: (B)

Gravitational force (weight) near Earth’s surface scales directly with mass. The weight is F = m g, and g is roughly constant at the Earth’s surface. So when mass doubles, the force doubles as well because you’re multiplying by a larger m while g stays the same. For instance, if your weight were proportional to your mass, doubling your mass would double the pull of gravity you experience. The other outcomes would only occur if gravity changed significantly or if the mass changed in a more complex way, which isn’t the case here.

Gravitational force (weight) near Earth’s surface scales directly with mass. The weight is F = m g, and g is roughly constant at the Earth’s surface. So when mass doubles, the force doubles as well because you’re multiplying by a larger m while g stays the same. For instance, if your weight were proportional to your mass, doubling your mass would double the pull of gravity you experience. The other outcomes would only occur if gravity changed significantly or if the mass changed in a more complex way, which isn’t the case here.