Question

How is the force of attraction dependent on the masses of objects and distance between them?

Answer 1

1. Gravitational force: Every object in the universe attracts every other object with a force called gravitational force.

2. Newton's law of Gravitation: According to the law, the gravitational force of attraction between two objects in the universe is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Mathematically it is represented as,

$F\alpha$ $m_1{m}_2$ (directly proportional to the product of the masses)

$F\alpha$$\frac{1}{r^2}$(inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them)

$F\to$gravitational force of attraction

$m_1\to$mass of body 1

$m_2\to$mass of body 2

$r\to$ distance between body 1 and body 2

on combining both, $F\alpha \frac{m_1{m}_2}{r^2}$

$F=\frac{G{m}_1{m}_2}{r^2}$

where $G\to$universal gravitational constant $\left(G=6.67\times {10}^{-11}\frac{N{m}^2}{k{g}^2}\right)$

Hence, we say that the force of attraction is directly proportional to the product of the masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.