Question
define gravitational attraction
Answers
GPT-4o mini
Gravitational attraction is the force of attraction that acts between two masses due to their mass and the distance between them. It is one of the fundamental forces of nature, governing the motion of objects in the universe. The strength of gravitational attraction is described by Newton's law of universal gravitation, which states that:
1. Every mass attracts every other mass with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers.
Mathematically, this relationship can be expressed with the formula:
\[
F = G \frac{{m_1 m_2}}{{r^2}}
\]
Where:
- \( F \) is the gravitational force,
- \( G \) is the gravitational constant (\(6.674 \times 10^{-11} \, \text{N m}^2/\text{kg}^2\)),
- \( m_1 \) and \( m_2 \) are the masses of the two objects, and
- \( r \) is the distance between the centers of the two masses.
This force is responsible for phenomena such as the orbits of planets around stars, the falling of objects towards Earth, and the formation of galaxies. Gravitational attraction is always attractive and acts over long distances, although it becomes weaker as the distance between objects increases.
1. Every mass attracts every other mass with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers.
Mathematically, this relationship can be expressed with the formula:
\[
F = G \frac{{m_1 m_2}}{{r^2}}
\]
Where:
- \( F \) is the gravitational force,
- \( G \) is the gravitational constant (\(6.674 \times 10^{-11} \, \text{N m}^2/\text{kg}^2\)),
- \( m_1 \) and \( m_2 \) are the masses of the two objects, and
- \( r \) is the distance between the centers of the two masses.
This force is responsible for phenomena such as the orbits of planets around stars, the falling of objects towards Earth, and the formation of galaxies. Gravitational attraction is always attractive and acts over long distances, although it becomes weaker as the distance between objects increases.