What is the best definition for The law of universal gravitation ?
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http://kids.yahoo.com/science/space/article/spaceexplore
The law of universal gravitation states that every particle of matter in the universe attracts every other particle with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. In simpler terms, it explains how all objects with mass attract each other with a force that becomes stronger as their masses increase and weaker as the distance between them increases. This law, formulated by Sir Isaac Newton in 1687, is fundamental to understanding the force of gravity and its effects on celestial bodies.
The law of universal gravitation is a fundamental principle in physics that explains the force of gravity between two objects. It states that every particle of matter attracts every other particle with a force directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
To understand this concept in more detail, we can break it down into two components:
1. Proportional to the product of their masses: This means that the gravitational force between two objects is directly proportional to the mass of each object. In other words, if the mass of one or both objects increases, the gravitational force between them will also increase. This makes intuitive sense since objects with more mass should exert a stronger gravitational pull.
2. Inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them: This means that as the distance between two objects increases, the gravitational force between them decreases. Specifically, the force decreases by the square of the distance. For example, if you double the distance between two objects, the gravitational force will be reduced to one-fourth its original strength. This inverse square relationship reflects the fact that gravitational force spreads out over a larger area as the distance increases.
To calculate the force of gravity using the law of universal gravitation, you can use the following equation:
F = (G * m1 * m2) / r^2
Where:
- F is the gravitational force between the two objects
- G is the gravitational constant (approximately 6.674 × 10^-11 Nm^2/kg^2)
- m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects
- r is the distance between the centers of the two objects
By plugging in the respective values for mass and distance into this equation, you can quantify the gravitational force between any two objects.