Gravitation

Get a Free Trial Physics lesson now! Call us now!

Physics Newtonian Mechanics Gravitation

	Origin of the Law of Gravitation:
	Gravitation is a natural phenomenon by means of which all objects with mass attract each other. Gravitation and gravity are distinct from each other. "Gravitation" is the overall theory dealing with the attractive influence that all objects exert on each other, while "gravity" specifically refers to a force produced by a massive object like earth on any relatively smaller object within the gravitational field of earth. Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation: Newton’s law of universal gravitation states that every particle in the universe attracts every other particle such that the gravitational force of attraction between two massive objects, in addition to being directly proportional to the product of their masses, is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Thus, the desired force of gravitation between two masses m₁ and m₂ separated by a distance r is given as: where G is the gravitational constant. This is a universal constant and its value remains constant irrespective of spatio-temporal effect. The Gravitational Constant ‘G’ near the Earth’s Surface Assuming SI units, F is measured in newtons (N), m1 and m2 in kilograms (kg), r in metres (m), and the constant G is approximately equal to 6.67 × 10−11 N m2 kg-2. Near the earth surface, the value of G is the same as given.