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A set of equations describing the trajectories of objects subject to a constant gravitational force under normal Earth-bound conditions.Assuming constant acceleration g due to Earth's gravity, Newton's law of universal gravitation simplifies to F = mg, where F is the force exerted on a mass m by the Earth's gravitational field of strength g.
To make this into an equal-sided formula or equation, there needed to be a multiplying factor or constant that would give the correct force of gravity no matter the value of the masses or distance between them (the gravitational constant). Newton would need an accurate measure of this constant to prove his inverse-square law.
His answer came in his law of universal gravitation, which states that the force between a mass M and another mass m is given by the formula =, where r is the distance between the masses and G is the gravitational constant. Given this force law and his equations of motion, Newton was able to show that two point masses attracting each other ...
Newton's second law generalized this hypothesis from gravity to all forces. [111] One important characteristic of Newtonian physics is that forces can act at a distance without requiring physical contact. [note 17] For example, the Sun and the Earth pull on each other gravitationally, despite being separated by millions of kilometres.
In geodesy and geophysics, theoretical gravity or normal gravity is an approximation of Earth's gravity, on or near its surface, by means of a mathematical model. The most common theoretical model is a rotating Earth ellipsoid of revolution (i.e., a spheroid ).
Depending on which features of general relativity and quantum theory are accepted unchanged, and on what level changes are introduced, [204] there are numerous other attempts to arrive at a viable theory of quantum gravity, some examples being the lattice theory of gravity based on the Feynman Path Integral approach and Regge calculus, [191 ...
But in a relativistic theory of gravity, mass cannot be the only source of gravity. Relativity links mass with energy, and energy with momentum. The equivalence between mass and energy, as expressed by the formula E = mc 2, is the most famous consequence of special relativity. In relativity, mass and energy are two different ways of describing ...
The gravitational constant G is a key quantity in Newton's law of universal gravitation.. The gravitational constant is an empirical physical constant involved in the calculation of gravitational effects in Sir Isaac Newton's law of universal gravitation and in Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity.