Written by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 examโขWritten by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Definition
The gravitational constant (G) is a fundamental physical constant that appears in the law of universal gravitation. It determines the strength of the gravitational force between two objects with mass.
Law of Universal Gravitation: This law states that every particle attracts every other particle with a force directly proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to the square of their distance apart.