Mass:

* Direct Proportionality: Gravitational attraction is directly proportional to the product of the masses of the two objects. This means:

* More Mass = Stronger Attraction: If you increase the mass of either object, the gravitational pull between them will become stronger.

* Double the Mass = Double the Attraction: If you double the mass of one object, the force of gravity will double.

Distance:

* Inverse Square Law: Gravitational attraction is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the centers of the two objects. This means:

* More Distance = Weaker Attraction: As the distance between objects increases, the gravitational force between them decreases rapidly.

* Double the Distance = 1/4th the Attraction: If you double the distance between objects, the gravitational force becomes one-fourth as strong.

Summary:

* More Mass = Stronger Gravity

* More Distance = Weaker Gravity

Example:

Imagine two planets:

* Planet A: Mass = 10 Earth masses, Distance from Earth = 1 AU (Astronomical Unit)

* Planet B: Mass = 5 Earth masses, Distance from Earth = 2 AU

Planet A will have a stronger gravitational pull on Earth than Planet B, even though Planet B is closer. This is because the increased mass of Planet A outweighs the effect of the slightly smaller distance.

Key Equation:

The force of gravity (F) between two objects is calculated using Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation:

F = G * (m1 * m2) / r²

Where:

* G is the gravitational constant (approximately 6.674 x 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