Newton's law of universal gravitation facts for kids

Statue of Isaac Newton in the chapel of Trinity College, Cambridge

Newton's universal law of gravitation is a physical law that describes the attraction between two objects with mass. It is talked about in Isaac Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica. The law is part of classical mechanics.

The formula is

$F_{g} = G \frac{m_1 m_2}{r^2},$

In this equation:

$F g$ is the total gravitational force between the two objects.
$G$ is the gravitational constant.
$m 1$ is the mass of the first object.
$m 2$ is the mass of the second object.
$r$ is the distance between the centers of the objects.

In SI units, $F g$ is measured in newtons (N), $m 1$ and $m 2$ in kilograms (kg), $r$ in metres (m), and the constant $G$ is approximately equal to 6.674×10⁻¹¹ N m² kg⁻².

Images for kids

Error plot showing experimental values for G.
Gravitational field strength within the Earth
Gravity field near the surface of the Earth – an object is shown accelerating toward the surface

Newton's law of universal gravitation facts for kids

Images for kids

See also