1. Mass: The more massive the objects, the stronger the gravitational force between them. This means if you double the mass of one object, the gravitational force doubles. If you double the mass of both objects, the force increases by a factor of four.
2. Distance: The closer the objects are to each other, the stronger the gravitational force between them. This relationship is inverse squared, meaning if you double the distance between the objects, the gravitational force decreases by a factor of four.
So, the formula for calculating gravitational force is:
F = G * (m1 * m2) / r^2
where:
* F is the gravitational force
* G is the gravitational constant (approximately 6.674 x 10^-11 N m^2/kg^2)
* m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects
* r is the distance between the centers of the two objects
This formula clearly shows how mass and distance influence the force of gravity.
