6. Gravitation
Gravitation describes the force by which two masses attract each other, a fundamental concept governing planetary motion and the behavior of objects on Earth. Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation quantitatively expresses this interaction through a specific formula. Key phenomena like free fall, differences between mass and weight, and gravitational fields are explored, along with their implications in real-world applications such as satellite motion and structural design.
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What we have learnt
- Gravitation is the force that attracts every object in the universe to every other object.
- Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation can be expressed through the formula F = G (m₁ × m₂) / r².
- The concepts of mass and weight are distinct, with mass being a measure of matter while weight is the force of gravity acting on that mass.
Key Concepts
- -- Gravitation
- The force that pulls two objects toward each other, proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
- -- Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation
- A law stating that every mass attracts every other mass in the universe with a force that is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers.
- -- Free Fall
- The motion of a body when it is falling solely under the influence of gravitational force.
- -- Weightlessness
- A condition in which no net gravitational force is acting on an object, making it feel as if it has no weight.
- -- Gravitational Field
- The region around a mass where its gravitational force can be felt, with strength diminishing as the distance from the mass increases.
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