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Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation

Definition

Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation states that every particle 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 them.

Analogy

Imagine you have two magnets. The stronger the magnets are (higher mass), and the closer they are together, the stronger the force of attraction between them. Similarly, in Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation, objects with larger masses and smaller distances between them experience a stronger gravitational force.

Related terms

Gravitational Forces: These forces are exerted by objects with mass on each other due to gravity. They can be attractive or repulsive depending on whether the masses attract or repel each other.

Gravitational Field: A region around an object where another object experiences a gravitational force. It is created by any object with mass and extends infinitely in all directions.

Inverse Square Law: This law states that a physical quantity (in this case, gravitational force) decreases as the square of the distance from its source increases.