AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based Practice Quiz: Gravitational Force
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Test your understanding with short quizzes. This quiz has 16 questions to check your progress.
Question 1 of 16
All Questions (16)
A) The force is halved.
B) The force is doubled.
C) The force is quadrupled.
D) The force remains the same.
Correct Answer: B
Based on content point 5, the gravitational force is directly proportional to each of the masses. If one mass is doubled, the force also doubles.
A) It becomes 9 times stronger.
B) It becomes 3 times stronger.
C) It becomes 1/3 of the original force.
D) It becomes 1/9 of the original force.
Correct Answer: D
Content point 5 states that the gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the systems' centers of mass. If the distance is tripled (3r), the force becomes 1/(3^2) or 1/9 of the original force.
A) To represent the contact force between two massive objects.
B) To model the effects of a noncontact force exerted on an object at various positions in space.
C) To calculate the inertial mass of an object.
D) To show that gravitational force is constant everywhere.
Correct Answer: B
Content point 6 explicitly states, 'A field models the effects of a noncontact force exerted on an object at various positions in space.' Gravity is a noncontact force.
A) Inertia
B) Apparent weight
C) Weight
D) Normal force
Correct Answer: C
Content point 7 defines weight as 'The gravitational force exerted by an astronomical body on a relatively small nearby object.'
A) When the object is moving at a constant velocity.
B) When the object is in a vacuum.
C) When the change in the object's position relative to the source of the field results in a negligible change in force.
D) When the object is very far from any astronomical body.
Correct Answer: C
Content point 8 specifies that if the gravitational force has a negligible change as the relative position changes, the force can be considered constant. This is true for objects near the Earth's surface where changes in height are small compared to the Earth's radius.
A) The apparent weight is less than the gravitational force.
B) The apparent weight is greater than the gravitational force.
C) The apparent weight is equal to the gravitational force.
D) The apparent weight is zero.
Correct Answer: B
Content point 9 defines apparent weight as the magnitude of the normal force. When an elevator accelerates upwards, the normal force must be greater than the gravitational force to provide the net upward force. Therefore, the apparent weight is greater than the gravitational force, which is a condition described in content point 3.
A) Gravitational mass
B) Apparent weight
C) Inertial mass
D) Volume
Correct Answer: C
Content point 10 defines inertial mass, or inertia, as 'a property that determines how much an object's motion resists changes when interacting with another object.'
A) Inertial mass is always greater than gravitational mass.
B) Gravitational mass is always greater than inertial mass.
C) They are equivalent.
D) There is no consistent relationship between them.
Correct Answer: C
Content point 11 states, 'Inertial mass and gravitational mass have been experimentally verified to be equivalent.'
A) Equal to the magnitude of the gravitational force.
B) Greater than the magnitude of the gravitational force.
C) Half the magnitude of the gravitational force.
D) Zero.
Correct Answer: D
In freefall, both the person and the scale are accelerating downwards at the same rate (g). The scale does not need to push up on the person, so the normal force is zero. According to content point 9, the apparent weight is the magnitude of the normal force. Therefore, the apparent weight is zero. This is a situation described in content point 3.
A) 2F
B) F
C) F/2
D) F/4
Correct Answer: B
Newton's law of universal gravitation describes the mutual interaction between two objects (content point 1). The force Planet X exerts on Y is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force Planet Y exerts on X, an application of Newton's third law.
A) inertial mass; gravitational mass
B) gravitational mass; inertial mass
C) weight; apparent weight
D) apparent weight; weight
Correct Answer: B
Gravitational mass determines the strength of the gravitational force an object experiences (content points 1 and 5). Inertial mass determines how much an object resists changes in motion, i.e., acceleration (content point 10).
A) It is zero because the elevator is moving downwards.
B) It is less than the gravitational force because the elevator is moving downwards.
C) It is equal to the gravitational force because the elevator's speed is changing.
D) It is greater than the gravitational force because the elevator has an upward acceleration.
Correct Answer: D
Moving downwards and slowing down means the acceleration vector is in the opposite direction of the velocity vector. Since the velocity is downwards, the acceleration is upwards. An upward acceleration requires a net upward force. The net force is the normal force minus the gravitational force. For the net force to be positive (upwards), the normal force must be greater than the gravitational force. Since apparent weight is the magnitude of the normal force (content point 9), the apparent weight is greater than the gravitational force.
A) directly proportional to the distance and inversely proportional to the product of the masses.
B) directly proportional to the square of the distance and directly proportional to the product of the masses.
C) inversely proportional to the distance and directly proportional to the product of the masses.
D) inversely proportional to the square of the distance and directly proportional to the product of the masses.
Correct Answer: D
Content point 5 states the law clearly: 'directly proportional to each of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the systems' centers of mass.'
A) Gravitational mass, by seeing which one is attracted more strongly to the spaceship.
B) Apparent weight, by placing them on a spring scale.
C) Inertial mass, by observing which one is harder to accelerate.
D) Weight, by using a balance scale.
Correct Answer: C
In a near-zero gravity environment, weight and gravitational force are negligible. However, objects still possess inertial mass. According to content point 10, inertial mass is the property that resists changes in motion (acceleration). By pushing on the boxes with the same force, the one that accelerates less has the greater inertial mass.
A) The ball has much less mass than the satellite.
B) The change in the ball's position relative to Earth's center is negligible.
C) Air resistance keeps the gravitational force constant.
D) The Earth's gravitational field does not extend more than a few kilometers.
Correct Answer: B
Content point 8 states that the gravitational force can be considered constant if the change in force is negligible as the relative position changes. For a ball thrown a few meters, its change in distance from Earth's center (which is ~6400 km) is extremely small, making the change in gravitational force negligible, thus satisfying the condition for a constant force.
A) The gravitational force exerted on the person by the Earth.
B) The person's inertial mass.
C) The normal force exerted by the scale on the person.
D) The person's gravitational mass.
Correct Answer: C
A scale measures the force exerted on it. By Newton's third law, this is equal in magnitude to the normal force the scale exerts on the person. Content point 9 defines the magnitude of this normal force as the apparent weight. While on a stationary, level surface this value is equal to the gravitational force (weight), the scale is fundamentally measuring the normal force.