Two objects attract each other gravitationally with a force of 2.5x10-10 N when they are 25m apart Their total mass is 4.0kg find their individual masses?

Answer 1

Alright, so basically you're given: m1+m2=4.0kg, r=25m, Fg=2.5*10-10N

We know that Fg=Gm1m2/r2

Using the fact that m1+m2=4.0kg, we know that m2=4.0kg-m1

So:

Fg=Gm1(4.0kg-m1)/r2

=G(m1(4.0)-m12)/r2

So:

(-G/r2)m12+(4G/r2)m1-Fg=0

Here we can use the quadratic formula to solve for m1

Once you have m1, just use m1+m2=4.0kg to find m2

I'll leave the actual number crunching to you. Hope this helps!