Gravitational attraction Definition and 69 Threads
Gravity (from Latin gravitas 'weight'), or gravitation, is a natural phenomenon by which all things with mass or energy—including planets, stars, galaxies, and even light—are attracted to (or gravitate toward) one another. On Earth, gravity gives weight to physical objects, and the Moon's gravity causes the ocean tides. The gravitational attraction of the original gaseous matter present in the Universe caused it to begin coalescing and forming stars and caused the stars to group together into galaxies, so gravity is responsible for many of the large-scale structures in the Universe. Gravity has an infinite range, although its effects become weaker as objects get further away.
Gravity is most accurately described by the general theory of relativity (proposed by Albert Einstein in 1915), which describes gravity not as a force, but as a consequence of masses moving along geodesic lines in a curved spacetime caused by the uneven distribution of mass. The most extreme example of this curvature of spacetime is a black hole, from which nothing—not even light—can escape once past the black hole's event horizon. However, for most applications, gravity is well approximated by Newton's law of universal gravitation, which describes gravity as a force causing any two bodies to be attracted toward each other, with magnitude proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
Gravity is the weakest of the four fundamental interactions of physics, approximately 1038 times weaker than the strong interaction, 1036 times weaker than the electromagnetic force and 1029 times weaker than the weak interaction. As a consequence, it has no significant influence at the level of subatomic particles. In contrast, it is the dominant interaction at the macroscopic scale, and is the cause of the formation, shape and trajectory (orbit) of astronomical bodies.
Current models of particle physics imply that the earliest instance of gravity in the Universe, possibly in the form of quantum gravity, supergravity or a gravitational singularity, along with ordinary space and time, developed during the Planck epoch (up to 10−43 seconds after the birth of the Universe), possibly from a primeval state, such as a false vacuum, quantum vacuum or virtual particle, in a currently unknown manner. Attempts to develop a theory of gravity consistent with quantum mechanics, a quantum gravity theory, which would allow gravity to be united in a common mathematical framework (a theory of everything) with the other three fundamental interactions of physics, are a current area of research.
Gravitational Attraction-Please Help!
Homework Statement
Two 100kg lead sphers are suspended from 100m long massless cables. The tops of the cables have been anchored 1 m apart. What is the distance between the center of the spheres?
Homework Equations
Fg= Gm1m2/r^2
The Attempt at...
Hello! The stem from this problem came to me when I was pondering how to describe the motion of two massive objects feeling the others' gravitational attraction (i.e binary star systems or something like that). Well this got ugly fast so I had to simplify a lot of things, and I finally got an...
Suppose I have 2 bodies, M1 and M2. Assuming that no other forces are acting on them aside from gravity, what is the nature of their acceleration over time? As they approach each other, and their distance decreases, does their acceleration also increase? If so, what is the rate at which this...
[SOLVED] Newton's law of gravitational attraction help?
Homework Statement
M1 is a spherical mass (38.6 kg) at the origin. M2 is also a spherical mass (10.3 kg) and is located on the x-axis at x = 61.2 m. At what value of x would a third mass with a 15.0 kg mass experience no net...
Homework Statement
We just have learned about Gravitational Attraction. The formula (for those who don't know is Fg = G (m1m2/s Squared)
M meaning Mass
G meaning universital gravity
S meaning distance between
I had to research the mass/radius of the Earth. I was given the mass/radius of...
Homework Statement
An astronaut working in the cargo bay of a space shuttle accidentally released the lifeline when picking up a toolbox. The mission control computers quickly calculated the astronaut was drifting away from the space shuttle at a constant speed of 0.350m/s. The astronaut...
Hello, I'm trying to solve a problem, but I'm doing something wrong.
This is the problem out of my Physics book, but the problem I'm working on has different numbers, so any help will not be cheating, I just need to know the process.
Problem:
Two objects are attracted to each other...
Homework Statement
Tom has a mass of 70.0 kg and Sally has a mass of 50.0 kg. Tom and Sally are standing 20.0 m apart on the dance floor. Sally looks up and sees Tom. She feels an attraction. If the attraction is gravitational, find its size. Assume that both Tom and Sally can be replaced by...
Homework Statement
A particle is projected vertically upward from the Earth's surface with initial speed Vo. Prove that the maximun height H reached above the Earth's surface is H= Vo^2R/(2gR-Vo^2)
The Attempt at a Solution
R is the Earth's radius. If the gravitational...
ok
F is an object that has no graviational attraction (i know its absurd, but its just to understand something cinetic energy/velocity)
F also is not a feromagnetic material , and is charged neutral
Ok now :
if i i am outside , i have F in my hand , and i let it go
would it...
Homework Statement
How would one go about calculating the increasing gravitational attraction between objects, one assumed for the purpose of the calculation to be motionless, and the other moving towards it according to the gravitational attraction.?
Homework Equations
F = GMm/r^2...
Homework Statement
Homework Statement
Two objects, one with a mass of 200g, and the other with a mass of 1 kg are placed 10 cm apart. What is the gravitational attraction between the objects?
Background: I'm performing an experiment in which a horizontal beam is suspended just above the...
okay so this is my first time posting anything here so forgive me if I've done something wrong (and do let me know). but I've been struggling with this problem now for a couple days and it seems like the answer is on the tip of my tongue but i can't come up with the steps. so if anyone could...
The weight of a person at the equator, as determined by a spring balance, is 725N.
By how much does this differ from the true force of gravitational attraction at the same point? Assume that the Earth is spherically symmetric.
This question is on a section that we havn't even done yet so I...
The mass of the Moon is 7.35 * 10^22kg. At some point between Earth and the Moon, the force of Earth's gravitational attraction on an object is canceled by the Moon's force of gravitational attraction. If the distance between Earth and the Moon (centre to centre) is 3.84 * 10^5 km, calculate...
The purpose of this thread is to present an analysis of the attraction of a particle to a solid disk of material of density rho. It will be shown that the result is finite and very small - and incidentally that the accleration is nearly uniform along the vertical axis regardless of one's height...
Here is the ex. in the book. Two 3.kg textbooks are .15 apart. What is the gravitational attraction?
The answer is given 2.7*10-8
I also know the formula is F=Gm1m2/r
I just do not understand what they are doing to get the answer.
(6.67*10-11 N-m2kg2)(3.kg)(3.kg)/.15
This is the...
K the question is basically where you are given the Earth's Mass (5.98*10^24kg) the moon's mass in this equation is 1.2% of the mass of the earth. (7.176*10^22kg) We are also given that the distance from the centres is 3.84*10^5km (converted to metres is 3.84*10^8)
So I have no problems with...
The Big Picture
Gravity, Tornados and the Evolution of Matter
An idea proposed by John Kanelous
Years ago I saw a video on TV that was taken by a cameraman in a helicopter who had flown, what appeared to be, way too close to a tornado. I saw palm trees being plucked vertically (not...