1. Find the mass of each ball:
* We know weight (W) is the force of gravity on an object, and it's calculated as: W = mg, where:
* W is weight (in Newtons, N)
* m is mass (in kilograms, kg)
* g is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s²)
* Rearranging the formula to find mass: m = W/g
* m = 490 N / 9.8 m/s² = 50 kg
2. Use Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation:
* The formula is: F = G * (m1 * m2) / r²
* F is the gravitational force (in Newtons, N)
* G is the gravitational constant (approximately 6.674 x 10⁻¹¹ N m²/kg²)
* m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects (in kg)
* r is the distance between the centers of the two objects (in meters, m)
3. Plug in the values:
* F = (6.674 x 10⁻¹¹ N m²/kg²) * (50 kg * 50 kg) / (3 m)²
* F ≈ 1.85 x 10⁻⁸ N
Therefore, the gravitational force between the two metal balls is approximately 1.85 x 10⁻⁸ Newtons.
Important Note: The gravitational force between everyday objects like these balls is incredibly small. It's not noticeable in our daily lives because the force of gravity is much stronger for much larger objects like the Earth.
