Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation
The force of gravity (F) between two objects is calculated using the following formula:
F = G * (m1 * m2) / r²
Where:
* 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 Inverse Square Relationship
The formula shows that the force of gravity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the objects. This means that if you halve the distance (r/2), the force becomes:
F = G * (m1 * m2) / (r/2)² = G * (m1 * m2) / (r²/4) = 4 * [G * (m1 * m2) / r²]
Therefore, the force of gravity becomes four times stronger.
In summary:
* Halving the distance between two objects increases the gravitational force between them by a factor of four.
* This is due to the inverse square relationship between gravitational force and distance.
