Here's why:
* Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation: This law states that the gravitational force between two objects is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers.
* The Formula: F = G * (m1 * m2) / r^2, where:
* F is the gravitational force
* G is the gravitational constant
* m1 and m2 are the masses of the objects
* r is the distance between their centers
* Halving the Distance: If you halve the distance (r), the denominator of the equation becomes (r/2)^2, which is 1/4 of the original value. Since the force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance, the force will be four times stronger.
In simpler terms: Gravity weakens rapidly as distance increases. Making the objects closer together significantly strengthens their gravitational attraction.
