The Moon (which is lighter than the Earth) exerts a gravitational force on objects as compared to the Earth.

Options

A. lesser
B. greater
C. equal
D. None of these

Answer

To solve the question regarding the gravitational force exerted by the Moon compared to that of the Earth, we can break it down into the following steps:

### Step 1: Understand Gravitational Force
Gravitational force is the force of attraction between two masses. It is determined by the formula:
\[ F = \frac{G \cdot m_1 \cdot m_2}{r^2} \]
where:
- \( F \) is the gravitational force,
- \( G \) is the gravitational constant,
- \( m_1 \) and \( m_2 \) are the masses of the two objects,
- \( r \) is the distance between the centers of the two masses.

### Step 2: Compare the Masses of the Earth and the Moon
The mass of the Earth is significantly greater than the mass of the Moon. This difference in mass plays a crucial role in determining the gravitational force exerted by each body. The Moon's mass is approximately 1/81 that of the Earth.

### Step 3: Consider the Radius of the Earth and the Moon
The radius of the Earth is also larger than that of the Moon. While the radius affects the gravitational force, the mass has a more substantial impact. However, since the Moon's radius is less, it slightly influences the gravitational force exerted by the Moon.

### Step 4: Calculate Gravitational Acceleration
Gravitational acceleration is the acceleration that an object experiences due to gravity. On Earth, this acceleration is approximately \( 9.81 \, m/s^2 \). On the Moon, it is about \( 1.62 \, m/s^2 \), which is roughly \( \frac{1}{6} \) of that on Earth.

### Step 5: Conclusion
Since the mass of the Moon is less than that of the Earth, and its gravitational acceleration is also less, we conclude that the Moon exerts a lesser gravitational force on objects compared to the Earth.

### Final Answer
The Moon exerts less gravitational force on objects compared to the Earth.

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