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It is a generalisation of the vector form, which becomes particularly useful if more than two objects are involved (such as a rocket between the Earth and the Moon). For two objects (e.g. object 2 is a rocket, object 1 the Earth), we simply write r instead of r 12 and m instead of m 2 and define the gravitational field g(r) as:
If, for example, two bodies are initially at rest relative to each other, but are then dropped in the Earth's gravitational field, they will move towards each other as they fall towards the Earth's center. [17] Compared with planets and other astronomical bodies, the objects of everyday life (people, cars, houses, even mountains) have little mass.
Gravitation, also known as gravitational attraction, is the mutual attraction between all masses in the universe.Gravity is the gravitational attraction at the surface of a planet or other celestial body; [6] gravity may also include, in addition to gravitation, the centrifugal force resulting from the planet's rotation (see § Earth's gravity).
For example, the Schwarzschild radius r s of the Earth is roughly 9 mm (3 ⁄ 8 inch); at the surface of the Earth, the corrections to Newtonian gravity are only one part in a billion. The Schwarzschild radius of the Sun is much larger, roughly 2953 meters, but at its surface, the ratio r s / r is roughly 4 parts in a million.
In what is called the second superstring revolution, it was conjectured that both string theory and a unification of general relativity and supersymmetry known as supergravity [199] form part of a hypothesized eleven-dimensional model known as M-theory, which would constitute a uniquely defined and consistent theory of quantum gravity.
The gravitational constant appears in the Einstein field equations of general relativity, [4] [5] + =, where G μν is the Einstein tensor (not the gravitational constant despite the use of G), Λ is the cosmological constant, g μν is the metric tensor, T μν is the stress–energy tensor, and κ is the Einstein gravitational constant, a ...
Newton defined the force acting on a planet to be the product of its mass and the acceleration (see Newton's laws of motion). So: Every planet is attracted towards the Sun. The force acting on a planet is directly proportional to the mass of the planet and is inversely proportional to the square of its distance from the Sun.
At a fixed point on the surface, the magnitude of Earth's gravity results from combined effect of gravitation and the centrifugal force from Earth's rotation. [2] [3] At different points on Earth's surface, the free fall acceleration ranges from 9.764 to 9.834 m/s 2 (32.03 to 32.26 ft/s 2), [4] depending on altitude, latitude, and longitude.