Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation
The force of gravity between two objects is described by the following equation:
F = G * (m1 * m2) / r²
Where:
* F is the force of gravity
* G is the gravitational constant (a constant value)
* m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects
* r is the distance between the centers of the two objects
The Effect of Distance
Notice that the distance (r) is squared in the denominator of the equation. This means that:
* If you double the distance between the objects, the gravitational force becomes one-fourth as strong.
* If you halve the distance between the objects, the gravitational force becomes four times stronger.
Example
Imagine two objects initially separated by a distance of 'r'. The gravitational force between them is F. If we halve the distance to 'r/2', the force becomes:
F' = G * (m1 * m2) / (r/2)² = 4 * G * (m1 * m2) / r² = 4F
Therefore, the gravitational force increases fourfold when the distance is halved.
