- #1
Simon Bridge said:You have the basic idea - but the r in the gravity equation is the separation between the two objects, not their distance from the origin.
So if one object is at x1=4m from the origin, and the other is at x2=6m, in the same direction, then how far apart are they? 2m
if one is at x1=4m and the other at x2=x, in the same direction, then how far apart are they?x-4
Universal gravitation is a fundamental force of nature that describes the attraction between all objects with mass in the universe. It is responsible for the movement of planets, stars, and galaxies.
Sir Isaac Newton is credited with discovering universal gravitation in the 17th century. He developed the theory of gravity and published his findings in his famous work, "Principia Mathematica."
Universal gravitation states that every object in the universe attracts every other object with a force that is directly proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. This means that the larger the mass of an object, the stronger its gravitational pull will be.
The formula for universal gravitation is F = G (m1m2)/r^2, where F is the force of gravity, G is the gravitational constant, m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects, and r is the distance between them.
Universal gravitation is responsible for the orbits of planets around the sun and moons around planets. The gravitational force between the two objects keeps them in orbit and maintains their stability.