The Force of Gravity Activity for 6th-8th Grade - Free Printable

Let’s solve the gravity worksheet questions step by step. We’ll focus on Questions 1 through 7, since they’re clearly visible and form a logical set.

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Question 1: Which pair has the greatest amount of gravitational attraction?

We are shown three pairs: Pair A (two circles close together), Pair B (same size circles but farther apart), Pair C (smaller circles, same distance as Pair A).

Gravitational force depends on two things:
- Mass of the objects → bigger mass = stronger pull
- Distance between them → closer = stronger pull

Pair A and Pair C are equally close. But Pair A has larger circles → meaning more mass. So Pair A has both large mass AND small distance → strongest gravity.

✔ Answer: a. A

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Question 2: Why is your answer to #1 correct?

We said Pair A has the most gravity because it has the most mass (bigger circles) and they’re close together.

Looking at options:
- a. “Pair A are farther apart” → FALSE, they’re close.
- b. “Pair B are closest” → FALSE, Pair A and C are closer.
- c. “Pair C has the greatest mass” → FALSE, Pair A’s circles are bigger.
- d. “None of the above” → This must be right, since none of a–c explain why Pair A wins.

Wait — actually, let’s re-read. The question says: “Which statement best describes WHY your answer to #1 is correct?”

Our reason was: Pair A has greater mass AND smaller distance. None of the options say that exactly. Option c says “Pair C has the greatest mass” — which is wrong. So yes, none of the given reasons match our correct reasoning.

✔ Answer: d. None of the above.

*(Note: If this were a real classroom, we might argue the question is flawed — but based on what’s written, D is correct.)*

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Question 3: Which pair has the least amount of gravitational attraction?

Compare all three:

- Pair A: big mass, close → strong
- Pair B: big mass, far → weaker than A
- Pair C: small mass, close → weaker than A, but how does it compare to B?

Gravity weakens with distance squared — so even if masses are equal, doubling distance makes gravity 4x weaker. Here, Pair B has same mass as A but is farther → much weaker. Pair C has less mass but same distance as A → also weaker.

But which is weakest? Let’s think:

If Pair B’s distance is significantly larger (visually, it looks about twice as far as Pair A/C), then even though its mass is big, the distance effect dominates.

In typical diagrams like this, Pair B is meant to show “far apart = very weak”, and Pair C shows “small mass = weak”, but distance usually matters more.

Actually, looking again — in many textbooks, when comparing these, the pair that is both small mass AND far apart would be weakest — but here, no such pair exists.

Wait — Pair C has small mass and close distance. Pair B has big mass and far distance.

Which effect is stronger? In reality, distance has a bigger impact (inverse square law). So if Pair B is twice as far, gravity is 1/4 as strong — even if mass is same.

Assuming the diagram shows Pair B roughly twice as far as Pair A, and Pair C half the mass of Pair A...

Then:

- Force for Pair A: F ∝ M / r² → let’s say M=2, r=1 → F = 2
- Pair B: M=2, r=2 → F = 2 / 4 = 0.5
- Pair C: M=1, r=1 → F = 1

So Pair B has the least: 0.5 < 1 < 2

✔ Answer: b. Pair B

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Question 4: Why is your answer to #3 correct?

We chose Pair B because even though it has big mass, being far apart reduces gravity a lot.

Options:
- a. “Pair A are farther apart” → false
- b. “Pair B are the closest together” → false, they’re farthest
- c. “Pair C has the greatest mass” → false
- d. “None of the above” → again, none of a-c give the right reason.

The real reason is: Pair B is farthest apart, and distance greatly reduces gravity.

Since none of the options say that...

✔ Answer: d. None of the above.

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Question 5: What could be done to increase the gravitational attraction of Pair C?

Pair C: small mass, close together.

To increase gravity:
- Increase mass → add mass to objects
- Decrease distance → move them closer

Options:
- a. add mass to the objects → YES
- b. remove mass → NO, that decreases gravity
- c. move farther apart → NO, that decreases gravity
- d. nothing can change → FALSE

✔ Answer: a. add mass to the objects

*(Also moving them closer would work, but that’s not an option listed — only ‘a’ is correct among choices.)*

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Question 6: What could be done to decrease the gravitational attraction of Pair A?

Pair A: big mass, close.

To decrease gravity:
- Remove mass
- Move them farther apart

Options:
- a. add mass → increases gravity → NO
- b. remove mass → YES
- c. move closer → increases gravity → NO
- d. nothing can change → NO

✔ Answer: b. remove mass from the objects

*(Moving them apart would also work, but again, only ‘b’ is listed as correct choice.)*

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Question 7: Which graph best represents the relationship between gravitational attraction and distance?

Gravity gets weaker as distance increases — and not linearly, but following inverse square law: F ∝ 1/r²

That means:
- When distance is small → gravity is very strong
- As distance grows → gravity drops quickly at first, then slower

Graphs:

- a. Curve starting high and dropping sharply → matches 1/r²
- b. Curve going up → wrong, gravity doesn’t increase with distance
- c. Straight line down → that’s linear, not inverse square
- d. Flat line → constant? No

Only graph ‘a’ shows rapid drop-off at first, then leveling off — which is characteristic of inverse relationships.

✔ Answer: a.

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Final Answer:
1. a
2. d
3. b
4. d
5. a
6. b
7. a