Question

State and explain newtons law of gravitation.

Answer 1

Newton's law of gravitation

Newton's law of gravitation states that any particle of matter in the universe attracts any other with a force varying directly as the product of the masses and inversely as the square of the distance between them.

1. Gravitational force is a non-contact force.
2. It depends directly on the masses of particles.
3. And inversely on the square of the distance between them.

The mathematical representation of Newton’s law of gravitation is:

$\begin{array}{l}F=-G\frac{m_1{m}_2}{r^2}\end{array}$

Where,

1. F is the force acting between the particles
2. G is the gravitational constant
3. m₁ and m₂ are the mass of the particles
4. r is the distance between the particles

The SI unit of gravitational constant is $\mathrm{N}.{\mathrm{m}}^2.{\mathrm{kg}}^{-2}$.

The CGS unit of gravitational constant is $\mathrm{dyne}.{\mathrm{cm}}^2{\mathrm{g}}^{-2}$.

The dimensional formula of the gravitational constant is $\left[{\mathrm{M}}^{-1}{\mathrm{L}}^3{\mathrm{T}}^{-2}\right]$.