1. Mass: The more massive the objects, the stronger the gravitational force between them. This is a direct relationship, meaning if you double the mass of one object, the force of gravity doubles.
2. Distance: The closer the objects are to each other, the stronger the gravitational force between them. This is an inverse square relationship, meaning if you double the distance between the objects, the force of gravity decreases by a factor of four.
These two factors are combined in the formula for gravitational force:
F = G * (m1 * m2) / r²
Where:
* F is the force of gravity
* G is the gravitational constant (approximately 6.674 × 10⁻¹¹ N⋅m²/kg²)
* m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects
* r is the distance between the centers of the two objects
Therefore, the force of gravity increases proportionally to the product of the masses and decreases inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
