Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation
The force of gravity between two objects is described by:
* F = G * (m1 * m2) / r²
Where:
* F is the force of gravity
* G is the gravitational constant (a fixed 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 Increasing Distance
Notice that the distance (r) is squared in the denominator of the equation. This means that if you increase the distance by a factor, the force of gravity will be affected by the *square* of that factor.
* Tripling the distance: If you triple the distance between the objects (r becomes 3r), the force of gravity will decrease by a factor of 9 (3²).
In Summary
If the distance between two objects is increased by 3 times, the magnitude of the gravitational force acting between them will decrease to 1/9 of its original value.
