If the distance between a star and a planet were three times as great, their gravitational attraction would be nine times weaker.

Here's why:

* Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation: The force of gravity between two objects is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers.

* Mathematical Representation: F = G * (m1 * m2) / r², where:

* F is the force of gravity

* G is the gravitational constant

* m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects

* r is the distance between their centers

* Distance and Gravity: Since the distance (r) is squared in the equation, increasing the distance by a factor of 3 results in a decrease in the gravitational force by a factor of 3² = 9.

Therefore, if the distance is tripled, the gravitational attraction becomes nine times weaker.