Eduwhere Concept: Newton's Law of Gravitation
- Neha Gore
- last edited by Neha Gore
Even if we all have learnt Newton’s law of gravitation in school and college, it has been a part of our studies after that too.
Here is a quick revision for Newton’s law of gravitation for your upcoming competitive examination.
Statement:
Newton’s Law of Gravitation
Gravitational force (F) between two bodies is directly proportional to the product of masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
Explanation:
Let m1 and m2 be the masses of two bodies and r be the separation between them.
F ∝ m1m2 / r2
Here, G is gravitational constant.
Value of G is (6.67 × 10-11 N m2 kg-2))
Acceleration due to gravity
For a body falling freely under gravity, the acceleration in the body is called acceleration due to gravity.
Relationship between g and G is given by
g = GMe /Re = 4/3 πGReΡ
where G = gravitational constant, Me and Re be the mass and radius of the earth.
Characteristics of gravitational force:
- It is always attractive.
- It is independent of the medium.
- It is a conservative and central force.
- It holds good over a wide range of distance.