If suddenly the value of \(G\), the gravitational constant, increased to a billion times its actual value, give several examples of the kinds of things that would happen. (Think locally as well as globally.)

Answer: If the gravitational constant were to suddenly increase to a billion times its actual value, the force of attraction between any two objects with mass would greatly increase. Locally, on Earth, we would feel a sudden increase in weight, making it extremely difficult for us to move. Additionally, the movement of vehicles and aircraft would be affected, as they would be unable to counter the significantly increased gravitational force. Globally, the increased gravity would affect the orbits of celestial bodies, such as planets and moons, causing their orbits to decrease in size and their speeds to increase significantly. This could potentially result in collisions. Moreover, the structures of stars, including the Sun, would be affected, possibly causing them to collapse due to the increased gravitational force. In an extreme case, all matter in the universe could collapse into black holes as a result of the overpowering gravitational forces.