Newton's law of gravitation is a cornerstone of classical physics, explaining how objects interact with each other through the force of gravity. Formulated by Sir Isaac Newton in the 17th century, this law states that every point mass attracts every other point 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 them.
This can be mathematically expressed as: \[ F = G \frac{m_1 m_2}{r^2} \] Where \( F \) represents the gravitational force, \( G \) is the gravitational constant, \( m_1 \) and \( m_2 \) are the masses of the two objects, and \( r \) is the distance between their centers.
- Proportional to the masses: This means if the mass of either object increases, the gravitational force also increases.
- Inversely proportional to the distance squared: If the distance between objects increases, the gravitational force rapidly decreases.
Newton's law offers profound insights into planetary motions, including how the Sun's gravity governs the orbits of planets in our solar system. Understanding this allows us to predict planetary paths and explore the universe's mechanics.