Answer:
C) The elephant walks to a new location across the flat savanna.
Explanation:
The force of gravity on an elephant is given by:
\(F=G\frac{Mm}{r^2}\)
where
G is the gravitational constant
M is the mass of the Earth
m is the mass of the elephant
r is the distance between the elephant and the Earth's centre
Keeping in mind this formula, let's now see why factor C is the one which least affects the force of gravity between the Earth and the elephant:
A) The elephant eats 50 pounds of grasses. --> this factor affects the mass of the elephant (m): in fact, when the elphant eats, its mass m increases, so this affects the magnitude of the force of gravity (F) also
B) The elephant climbs to the top of a tall Himalayan mountain. --> this factor affects r, the distance between the elephant and the Earth's centre: as the elephant climbs the mountain, the value of r increases, so the value of the force of gravity (F) decreases.
C) The elephant walks to a new location across the flat savanna. --> in this case, neither the mass of the elephant (m) nor the distance between the elephant and the Earth's centre (r) change significantly, so this factor really does not affect the force of gravity, F.
D) The elephant gets on the space shuttle and becomes the first elephant in space. --> as in case B), the distance between the elephant and the Earth's centre increases (because the space shuttle is located much above the Earth's surface), so this factor also affects the value of the force of gravity F.
