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Question

What type of force is responsible for the Moon’s circular motion around Earth?

This question was previously asked in
RRB Group D 2024 Question Paper PDF (27-Dec-2025) (Shift 2)
The correct answer is

Centripetal Force due to Earth's gravity

Any object moving in a circle must be pulled continuously towards the centre of that circle; this inward (centre-seeking) force is called the centripetal force. For the Moon, this required centripetal force is supplied by the gravitational attraction of the Earth. Earth's gravity constantly pulls the Moon inward, bending its straight-line path into an almost circular orbit instead of letting it fly off in a straight line.

Therefore, the force responsible is the centripetal force due to Earth's gravity.

Centrifugal force is not a real applied force but an apparent (pseudo) force felt in a rotating frame; it cannot keep the Moon in orbit. Normal force is the contact push a surface exerts on an object resting on it, and there is no such contact in space. Electromagnetic force acts between charges and magnets, whereas the Earth–Moon system is held together by gravity, not by electric or magnetic interaction.

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Similar Questions

  1. A particle is projected vertically upward with a speed of \(\sqrt{1.6\text{gR}}\). If the Earth's radius is R, what is the maximum height attained by the particle?

  2. Choose the incorrect statement.
    A. G on the Moon is one-sixth of that on Earth.
    B. G on the Moon is equal to G on Earth.
    C. Gravitational force between two point masses 2 kg and 3 kg placed 1 m apart is \(40.02 \times 10^{-11}\) N.
    D. The force is directly proportional to the product of the masses of two bodies.

  3. What will be the ratio of gravity at depth \(h\) below the Earth's surface and at height \(h\) above the Earth's surface, where \(h << R\) (R is Earth's radius):

  4. The mass of an object on Earth is 60 kg. What is its mass on the Moon?

  5. The unit of 'g' is the same as the unit of acceleration, i.e. _____.

  6. Earth attracts objects towards itself. This is due to _____.

  7. The weight of an object on Earth's surface is 6000 N. What will its weight be on the Moon's surface?

  8. The SI unit \(\text{Nm}^{2}\text{kg}^{-2}\) belongs to _______.

  9. The weight of an object on Earth is \(200 \text{ N}\) and its mass is \(20 \text{ kg}\). What will be the value of acceleration due to gravity?

  10. Every object in the universe attracts every other object with a force which is:


Important Questions from Gravitation

  1. The known forces of nature can be divided into four classes, viz., gravity, electromagnetism, weak nuclear force and strong nuclear force. With reference to them, which one of the following statements is not correct?

  2. A spacecraft of mass m = 1000 kg has a fully reflecting sail that is oriented perpendicular to the direction of the sun. The sun radiates 10 26 W and has a mass M = 10 30  kg. Ignoring the effect of the planets, for the gravitational pull of the sun to balance the radiation pressure on the sail, the area of the sail will be
  3. The force of attraction between two bodies separated by a distance of d is F. The distance for which the force of attraction between them is 64 F is ________.

  4. If two satellites of masses m1 and m2 are revolving around a earth in a circular orbits of radius r1 and r2, then the ratio of their orbital velocities \(\dfrac{v_1}{v_2}\) is

  5. A women whose mass is 60 kg on the earth surface is in an spacecraft at an altitude of two times the earth radius. Her mass there is

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