Gravitational Forces
Introduction
Gravitational forces are the forces of attraction that exist between any two masses, any two bodies, any two particles. They are mathematically described by Newton's law, which states that every particle of matter in the universe attracts every other particle 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. This law is a fundamental principle underlying the gravitational interactions observed in everyday life and in scientific experiments.
History
The concept of gravitational forces has been around for centuries, with the earliest recorded thoughts on the subject coming from ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. However, it wasn't until the 17th century that Isaac Newton formulated his law of universal gravitation, providing a mathematical description of the way in which objects attract each other due to their mass.
Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation
Newton's law of universal gravitation states that every particle of matter in the universe attracts every other particle 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. This law is represented by the equation:
F = G * (m1 * m2 / r^2)
Where: F is the force of attraction between the two bodies, G is the gravitational constant, m1 and m2 are the masses of the two bodies, and r is the distance between the centers of the two bodies.
This law explains not only the motion of the planets in the solar system but also the motion of galaxies and other celestial bodies in the universe.
Gravitational Constant
The gravitational constant (G) is a physical constant involved in the calculations of gravitational force between two bodies. It is an empirical physical constant involved in the calculation of gravitational effects in Sir Isaac Newton's law of universal gravitation.
Gravitational Field
A gravitational field is a model used to explain the influence that a massive body extends into the space around itself, producing a force on another massive body. This is the basis of the concept of gravity as a force. In a gravitational field, a body experiences a force proportional to its mass.
Gravitational Waves
Gravitational waves are disturbances in the curvature of spacetime, generated by accelerated masses, that propagate as waves outward from their source at the speed of light. They were proposed by Einstein in 1916 on the basis of his theory of general relativity. Gravitational-wave astronomy is a branch of observational astronomy that uses gravitational waves to collect observational data about sources of detectable gravitational waves such as binary star systems composed of white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes; and events such as supernovae, and the formation of the early universe shortly after the Big Bang.