Gravity

Newton also proposed what is now known as the Universal Law of Gravitation, which said that two bodies attract each other with a force that we now call gravity:


Equation 4

G is the same as before -- the Universal Gravitation Constant; M is the mass (kg) of the first body; m is the mass (kg) of the second body; and r is the distance (meters) between the center of mass of body 1 and the center of mass of body 2.

F here is the force (metric unit: Newtons) of gravity.

You can see that the force of gravity goes is big when the masses are big and small when both masses are small. You can also see that the force of gravity is big when the distance (r) between the masses is small, and the force of gravity is small when the distance between the two masses is big.

You will get a chance to practice with the Universal Law of Gravitation on your homework.

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