Here's the breakdown:
* Distance: The force of gravity decreases rapidly as the distance between the objects increases. This is an inverse square relationship, meaning if you double the distance, the force of gravity becomes four times weaker.
* Mass: The more massive the objects are, 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.
These relationships are summarized in Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation:
F = G * (m1 * m2) / r²
Where:
* F is the force of gravity
* G is the gravitational constant (a universal constant)
* m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects
* r is the distance between the centers of the two objects
So, the gravitational force between two objects is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers.
