Physics: Law of Universal Gravitation

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Questions and Answers

What is the law of universal gravitation?

Newton's law of universal gravitation states that every object attracts every other object with a force that for any two objects is directly proportional to the mass of each object.

What is the universal gravitational constant?

The universal gravitational constant, G, describes the strength of gravity.

What is the inverse-square law?

When a quantity varies as the inverse square of its distance from its source, it follows an inverse-square law.

What is a gravitational field?

<p>A gravitational field occupies the space surrounding a massive body.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What causes ocean tides?

<p>Ocean tides are caused by differences in the gravitational pull of the moon on opposite sides of Earth.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was Newton's reasoning about the apple falling from the tree?

<p>Newton reasoned that the moon is falling toward Earth for the same reason an apple falls from a tree--they are both pulled by Earth's gravity.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why doesn't the moon hit Earth?

<p>The moon is actually falling toward Earth but has great enough tangential velocity to avoid hitting Earth.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What theory of the solar system did Newton's theory of gravity confirm?

<p>Newton's theory of gravity confirmed the Copernican theory of the solar system.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did Newton discover about gravity?

<p>Newton discovered that gravity is universal. Everything pulls on everything else in a way that involves only mass and distance.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does the force of gravity change with distance?

<p>Gravity decreases according to the inverse square law.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What kind of field surrounds Earth and causes objects to experience gravitational forces?

<p>Earth can be thought of as being surrounded by a gravitational field that interacts with objects and causes them to experience gravitational forces.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Describe the gravitational field of Earth at its center.

<p>The gravitational field of Earth at its center is zero.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What sensation do we interpret as weight?

<p>Pressure against Earth is the sensation we interpret as weight.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the gravitational field of a star that has collapsed into a black hole?

<p>When a massive star collapses into a black hole, there is no change in the gravitational field at any point beyond the original radius of the star.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How did the formulation of the law of universal gravitation affect science?

<p>The formulation of the law of universal gravitation is one of the major reasons for the success in science that followed, for it provided hope that other phenomena of the world might also be described by equally simple and universal laws.</p> Signup and view all the answers

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Study Notes

Law of Universal Gravitation

  • Newton's law states that every object attracts every other object.
  • The gravitational force between two objects is directly proportional to their masses.

Universal Gravitational Constant

  • Represented by G, it quantifies the strength of gravity in the gravitational equation.

Inverse-Square Law

  • Describes how a quantity decreases with the square of its distance from the source.

Gravitational Field

  • Surrounds a massive body and exerts forces on other masses within the field.
  • Is a type of force field experienced by objects within it.

Ocean Tides

  • Caused by the gravitational pull of the moon, resulting in differences on opposite sides of Earth.

Newton's Apple Analogy

  • Reasoned that both an apple falling and the moon's orbit around Earth are due to gravitational attraction.

Moon's Orbit

  • The moon falls toward Earth due to gravity but has sufficient tangential velocity to remain in orbit.

Confirmation of Copernican Theory

  • Newton's gravity theory supported the heliocentric model of the solar system by Copernicus.

Universality of Gravity

  • Discovered gravity acts universally, with all masses exerting a pull on each other based on mass and distance.

Gravity and Distance

  • Follows the inverse-square law, meaning gravitational force decreases with the square of the distance.

Earth's Gravitational Field

  • Earth is surrounded by a gravitational field that influences nearby objects, causing them to experience gravitational forces.

Gravitational Field at Earth's Center

  • The gravitational field strength at the center of Earth is zero, due to equal force pull from all surrounding mass.

Sensation of Weight

  • Weight is perceived as pressure against Earth's surface, resulting from gravitational forces.

Tidal Forces

  • Ocean tides are specifically influenced by the gravitational differences caused by the moon's position relative to Earth.

Gravitational Field of a Black Hole

  • A collapsing massive star into a black hole does not alter the gravitational field beyond its original radius.

Impact of Universal Gravitation on Science

  • The law of universal gravitation catalyzed scientific progress, inspiring hopes that natural phenomena could be explained by simple universal laws.

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