What is Gravitational field: Definition and 369 Discussions

In physics, a gravitational field is a model used to explain the influences that a massive body extends into the space around itself, producing a force on another massive body. Thus, a gravitational field is used to explain gravitational phenomena, and is measured in newtons per kilogram (N/kg). In its original concept, gravity was a force between point masses. Following Isaac Newton, Pierre-Simon Laplace attempted to model gravity as some kind of radiation field or fluid, and since the 19th century, explanations for gravity have usually been taught in terms of a field model, rather than a point attraction.
In a field model, rather than two particles attracting each other, the particles distort spacetime via their mass, and this distortion is what is perceived and measured as a "force". In such a model one states that matter moves in certain ways in response to the curvature of spacetime, and that there is either no gravitational force, or that gravity is a fictitious force.Gravity is distinguished from other forces by its obedience to the equivalence principle.

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  1. I

    Velocity of light remain costant in a gravitational field?

    Does the velocity of light remain costant in a gravitational field? In my calculation it is less than c.
  2. L

    Solve for Gravitational Field Strength at Point A: Get Help Here!

    Please check the attachment. The question is: Find the gravitational field strength at the point A in terms of G. So I went about assuming we use g = GM/r^2, for both masses, and then subtract them as we're meant to find the overall using vectorial addition. But, the answer in the back...
  3. G

    Equation of motion of particle in gravitational field

    Homework Statement We have two particles, m1 and m2 at positions x1 and x2, and we want to come up with the equation of motion of particle m1 due to the gravitational field of m2 (position of m1 as a function of time). Homework Equations F=Gm1m2/r^2 F=ma The Attempt at a Solution...
  4. C

    Gravitational field of the moon

    [SOLVED] gravitational field Homework Statement How much work is done by the Moon's gravitational field as a 1100kg meteor comes in from outer space and impacts on the Moon's surface? Homework Equations W=GMm/r The Attempt at a Solution W=6.67 X 10^-11(6 X 10^22)(1100kg)/1.5 X...
  5. redtree

    Does a photon curve space-time, i.e., produce a gravitational field?

    Does a photon curve space-time, i.e., produce a gravitational field? Is the degree of curvature a function of its energy?
  6. H

    Pathria: Specific Heat in a gravitational field

    Homework Statement Pathria 6.8: Evaluate the partition function of a classical ideal gas consisting of N molecules of mass m confined to a cylinder of vertical height L, which is in a state of thermal equilibrium at constant T in a uniform gravitational field of acceleration g. Calculate the...
  7. V

    Gravitational field and spaceship

    Homework Statement A spaceship makes a trip from the Earth to the moon 380,000 km awawy. at what point in the trip will the gravitational field be zero ? the mass of the moon is about 1/81 that of the earth Homework Equations Fg = Gm1m2 / r^2 The Attempt at a Solution ummmmmm i...
  8. X

    Coursework - Gravitational Field Strength

    Homework Statement Okay so, we weren't given much of a question other than "Prove the Earth's GFS is 9.81 N/KG" So what I'm asking is, with the data that I have collected, is how I go about doing this? As it stand we set up an experiment with the ticker tape machine, rolled the little buggy...
  9. M

    Why does anything with mass have it's own gravitational field?

    I have just learned that all objects with mass attract each other. So if I took the example of an apple falling out a tree. The apple is under the Earth's gravitational force, but the Earth is also under some gravitational force from the apple though this force is far less. My question is why...
  10. P

    Three object net gravitational field problem

    Homework Statement Two 10 kg masses are placed on an x-y coordinate plane measured in meters. the first mass is at position (0,0) and the second at (2,0). that's the first part of the problem the second part is: if an additional 5 kg mass is placed at the point K, calculate the gravitational...
  11. H

    Gravitational field between two planets.

    [SOLVED] Gravitational field between two planets. Homework Statement Planet B and Planet A are separated by a distance of R. Homework Equations At what distance will the net gravitational field be 0, express R in terms of Planet A. HINT: Use Gravitational Force. The Attempt at a Solution...
  12. U

    Gauss's and Coulomb's law forms and gravitational field

    Consider int(E.dA)=q/e, guass law relating the electric field to the charge enclosed. One can also derive (using the more mathematical version of guass' law - involving the double integral) this same formuala for a graviational field. Here the permitivitty constant would be replaced by...
  13. S

    Do gravitational field lines always need to be straight? Example?

    do gravitational field lines always need to be straight, can't they be just curves if yes then please tell an example..?
  14. L

    Application of Electric, magnetic and gravitational field in satellite

    Hello, Im new to this forum and i hope u guys can help me with this question. I need to explain how electric, gravitational and magnetic fields are present in the building and launching of a satellite. I know that gravitational will be present at launching since gravity will be acting on...
  15. D

    Does a gravitational field have mass?

    I ask this question because of conclusions from the following example. Two masses orbit one another. The masses are 5 minutes apart at light speed. The objects are identical and always face each other ( they rotate once per orbit ) The Gravitational force of mass 1 toward mass 2 is...
  16. J

    Earth's Gravitational Field Strength

    Homework Statement a) Find the altitude above the Earth's surface where Earth's gravitational field strength would be two-thirds of its value at the surface. Assume re = 6.371 103 km. __________ km (b) Find the altitude above the Earth's surface where Earth's gravitational field strength...
  17. S

    Electric field and gravitational field

    Can a electric field create a gravitational field? I read somewhere that the gravitational field is the gradient of the electric field and a spherical capacitor can create a gravitational field.
  18. B

    Do Clocks Run Slower in Weaker Gravitational Fields?

    It is often said that a clock will run slower in a stronger gravitational field. This is not always true. Give a case where a clock will run slower in a WEAKER gravitational field. Bob
  19. C

    Dark Energy as a Gravitational Field?

    I've been wondering, is it possible to model both the Hubble redshift and dark energy as a gravitational field which gets strong the further away you look? For example, we know that light from distant galaxies is red-shifted, which is equivalent to a photon having climbed out of a gravitational...
  20. G

    Gravitational field and graavitational potential

    Homework Statement I have problem with understanding gravitational field strength and potential. How different is the gravitational field strrength(g) to gravitational potential? And what exactly is gravitational potential? I have one question which would help to bring across the...
  21. D

    Does a gravitational field have mass?

    I have been trying to conceptualize how a gravity field is formed. If gravity was a wave that was emitting from the host mass then it should lag behind as a mass moves but a gravitational field seems to arrive with it host mass and the gravitational field is fully formed. It is as if the...
  22. M

    Ideal Gas in a Gravitational Field

    Homework Statement Im given an ideal Gas confined in an container with quadratic bottom area of size L^2 and open at the top. The whole thing is set in V(z) = m*g*z surely and contains N Atoms at Temperature T. Compute the Helmoltz Free Energy. Homework Equations Yea surely the...
  23. M

    If a charged particle is free falling in the gravitational field-

    If a "charged particle" is free falling in the gravitational field---------- If a "charged particle" is free falling in the earth`s gravitational field, it will emit electromagnetic waves? (1)If a person stands on the ground, he will say:Yes ! because,the charged particle is accelerated by...
  24. M

    Does the Gravitational Field Have Mass?

    Gravitational field has mass? As we all known:the magnetic field itself has mass(Electromagnetic Mass)for example,the neutron-star has strong magnetic field (10^8 tesla)! In per cube meter the magnetic field possesses about 44ton mass!(44000Kg according to E=MC^2) So I want to...
  25. M

    Is a uniform gravitational field a gravitational field?

    Is a "uniform gravitational field" a gravitational field? Is a "uniform gravitational field" a gravitational field? Or in other words how do we explain the seemingly gravitational effects in a space-time region with zero intrinsic curvature?
  26. -Job-

    Does a Gravitational Field Contribute to itself

    I think i came across this before. Does the size of an object's gravitational field contribute to its gravitational field?
  27. N

    Is an exact solution for the gravitational field of a galaxy possible?

    I was wondering whether someone has been able to find an exact solution of the Einstein field equations for the gravitational field of a galaxy (in which the galaxy could be modeled as a spinning disk for instance). Such a solution would clearly not be spherically symmetrical, though cylindrical...
  28. C

    Time Travel using the gravitational field of a circulating light beam

    I saw this paper on time travel. Does anyone think its plausible?http://www.physics.uconn.edu/~mallett/main/research_activities.htm
  29. N

    Change of speed of light in a gravitational field

    From all the sources I have (and including wikipedia), it seems that the speed of light is lowered by the presence of a gravitational field. Now since the speed of light is related to the electrical permittivity and the magnetic permeability of the vacuum, one could interpret this by saying...
  30. B

    The Higgs field: so gravitational field by itself cannot confer mass?

    the Higgs field: so gravitational field by itself cannot confer mass to elementary particles? What properties of a particle determine how it interacts with the Higgs field in such a way that it gains mass (whereas others, such as photons, remain massless)?
  31. B

    Since time slows down in a strong gravitational field, does time stop in a black hole

    since time slows down in a strong gravitational field, does time stop in a black hole? and if it does stop what happens to motion implied by quantum mechanics?
  32. E

    Schrodinger equation in gravitational field

    I read article http://www.oup.co.uk/pdf/0-19-850687-2.pdf There is described Schrodinger equation in gravitational field (1.10) and COW experiment. But once I found article, where it is shown that this Schrodinger equation is in direct contradiction with principle of equivalence. Can...
  33. M

    Evaluating the Elapsed Time Difference Between Clocks in a Gravitational Field

    Clocks show less elapsed time in gravitational field right? So clocks on Earth seem to apply. Consider one clock stationed on the north pole and one somewhere on the equator, both at sea level. It seems there are a couple of factors in order to calculate the difference in time between...
  34. E

    What,s the energy of the gravitational field?

    What,s the "energy" of the gravitational field?.. If we can define for the Electro-Magnetic field an "energy"... Energy= \alpha \int_{V} (E^{2}+B^{2})dv where E and B are the electric and magnetic field..but my question is...¿why can not define an "energy" for the gravitational field so...
  35. E

    Help with quantum problem (gravitational field)

    I need to find the energy spectrum for the energes of photons that end up in the 1st excited state from a neutron in a gravitational field of strength g (9.8). I suppose first I need to find an expression for U(x) and substitue into the Schrodinger equation? How do I know U(x)? We have been...
  36. -Job-

    How does a body escape its gravitational field?

    Might seem like a strange question, but why does the Earth move? Shouldn't it's gravitational field keep it in place? Wouldn't the space immediatly surrounding the Earth offer considerable resistance to its movement? Things on the surface of the planet have a hard time escaping the Earth's...
  37. J

    Gravitational Field of a Spinning Mass: Exploring the Math

    I have obtained Kerr's paper, "Gravitational Field Of A Spinning Mass As An Example Of Algebraically Special Metrics", and was wondering if someone would be able to provide an explanation of the mathematics, or at least some direction in which I should investigate in order to learn the...
  38. J

    Gravitational field inside the earth

    Hi all - I broke my foot and had surgury so I'm bored (for a couple more weeks) which explains my recent posts. [This isn't "Homework" like some class assignment - it's just something I've been playing with since reading some thought experiments that John Wheeler expressed - and some Feynman...
  39. P

    Physicist Presents New Exact Solution of Einstein's Gravitational Field Equation

    http://www.physorg.com/news10789.html Does anybody know anything about this Dr. Febler or the Advanced Institute at Austin? I can't find a dime to spit on. I have not taken any physics courses yet, but I do know what is meant by 'exact' (as stated in the title) form my math courses...
  40. V

    How light is deflected by gravitational field

    I have a general doubt. It is sai that light is deflected by gravitational field. That means photons are subjected to gravitational attractions. Then how can they have mass 0? In fact if we put mass as zero and follow the Newton's law of gravitation, then there must be no attractive force for a...
  41. M

    Temperature Variations of Ideal Gas in Gravitational Field

    Could somebody tell me, how temperature of an ideal gas varies on height in homogeneous gravitational field in equilibrium? I mean a gas column perfectly isolated from its environment.
  42. M

    Is arithmetic still true in a gravitational field

    It is well-known that Euclidean geometry does not hold in a gravitational field. Because of equivalence, an entity in circular motion is effectively the same as an entity in a gravitational field. Now because length shortens in the direction of motion in accordance with special relativity...
  43. V

    Finding the Distance b/w Particles in Gravitational Field

    See this question. Two particles are moving in a uniform gravitational field with an acceleration g. at the initial moment, the particles were located at one point and moved with velocities v1 = 3m/sec and v2 = 4m/sec horizontally in opposite directions. Find the distance between the particles...
  44. S

    Calculate the gravitational field strength

    From the radius (1740 km) and mass (7.36 X 10^22 kg) of the moon, calculate gravitational field strength for this body. g = F/m = F/(7.36X10^22 kg) F = GmM/r^2 = (6.67X10^-11)(7.36X10^22)M/(1740X10^3)^2 What is the big M?
  45. D

    How is the Gravitational Field Calculated at a Point P between Two Equal Masses?

    Compue the magnitude and direction of the gravitational field at a point P on the perpendicular bisector of the line joining two objects of equal mass seperated by a distance of 2a. So: [MASS] ---------------- 2a ------------------[MASS] .......| .......r .......| .......| .......P To...
  46. daniel_i_l

    Where Does the Extra Energy Come From in a Gravitational Field?

    Lets imagine that there is a gravitational field and you are in a position that if you fall a meter your g increases by 2m/s/s (I'm pretty that that's possible). In this case, the more you fall the more P energy you get and you get more K energy. In order for this not to contradict the...
  47. P

    What is the Most Accurate Accepted Value for the Gravitational Field, g?

    Hi, This might be a dumb/stupid/ignorant/*insert name tag here* topic, but I was wondering-- what is a fairly accurate numerical representation of g? Most of my books use 9.8m/s^2, Fundamentals of Physics mentions 9.80665m/s^2 and I've heard some books use 9.82m/s^2... What is the most...
  48. A

    Gravitational field of a moving object

    Hello, Two physics professors said two different things about the invariance of mass. One said that "mass" is a quantity which is always measured in the object rest frame - and therefore invariant to the Lorentz transformation. In additions, laws of motion in "real life" (relativistic...
  49. marcus

    Interaction of light with the quantum gravitational field

    I want to gather some links about this. If you know of some good articles and can add some links to the stash, please do. The gravitational field is the geometry of spacetime and can be roughly equated with spacetime itself, or a general idea of the vacuum----the ideas tend to overlap because...
  50. S

    ? Earth's Gravitational Field Effect on space shuttles

    ? Earth's Gravitational Field Effect on space shuttles Hi, i have a physics question in my physics portfolio, it goes as follows Critically assess the following statement: ‘Astronauts in a space capsule orbiting the Earth at a height of 900km experience weightlessness: hence the...
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