Faculty of science, soran university

Department of Mathematic

Second stage, second semester

Student NO: Cheman Aziz Khurshed Supervisor: Abdulla Hamza

Definition:

Newton’s law of gravitation, statement 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. In symbols, the magnitude of the attractive force F is equal to G (the
gravitational constant, a number the size of which depends on the system of units used and which
is a universal constant) multiplied by the product of the masses (m1 and m2) and divided by the
square of the distance R: F = G(m1m2)/R2. Isaac Newton put forward the law in 1687 and used
it to explain the observed motions of the planets and their moons, which had been reduced to
mathematical form by Johannes Kepler early in the 17th century.

Isaac Newton compared the acceleration of the moon to the acceleration of objects on earth.
Believing that gravitational forces were responsible for each, Newton was able to draw an
important conclusion about the dependence of gravity upon distance. This comparison led him to
conclude that the force of gravitational attraction between the Earth and other objects is inversely
proportional to the distance separating the earth's center from the object's center. But distance is
not the only variable affecting the magnitude of a gravitational force. Consider Newton's famous
equation

Fnet = m • a

Newton knew that the force that caused the apple's acceleration (gravity) must be dependent
upon the mass of the apple. And since the force acting to cause the apple's downward
acceleration also causes the earth's upward acceleration (Newton's third law), that force must
also depend upon the mass of the earth. So for Newton, the force of gravity acting between the
earth and any other object is directly proportional to the mass of the earth, directly proportional
to the mass of the object, and inversely proportional to the square of the distance that separates
the centers of the earth and the object.

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The UNIVERSAL Gravitation Equation:

But Newton's law of universal gravitation extends gravity beyond earth. Newton's law of
universal gravitation is about the universality of gravity. Newton's place in the Gravity Hall of
Fame is not due to his discovery of gravity, but rather due to his discovery that gravitation is
universal. ALL objects attract each other with a force of gravitational attraction. Gravity is
universal. This force of gravitational attraction is directly dependent upon the masses of both
objects and inversely proportional to the square of the distance that separates their centers.
Newton's conclusion about the magnitude of gravitational forces is summarized symbolically as

Since the gravitational force is directly proportional to the mass of both interacting objects, more
massive objects will attract each other with a greater gravitational force. So as the mass of either
object increases, the force of gravitational attraction between them also increases. If the mass of
one of the objects is doubled, then the force of gravity between them is doubled. If the mass of
one of the objects is tripled, then the force of gravity between them is tripled. If the mass of both
of the objects is doubled, then the force of gravity between them is quadrupled; and so on.

Since gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the separation distance
between the two interacting objects, more separation distance will result in weaker gravitational
forces. So as two objects are separated from each other, the force of gravitational attraction
between them also decreases. If the separation distance between two objects is doubled
(increased by a factor of 2), then the force of gravitational attraction is decreased by a factor of 4
(2 raised to the second power). If the separation distance between any two objects is tripled
(increased by a factor of 3), then the force of gravitational attraction is decreased by a factor of 9
(3 raised to the second power).

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Thinking Proportionally About Newton's Equation:

The proportionalities expressed by Newton's universal law of gravitation are represented

graphically by the following illustration. Observe how the force of gravity is directly
proportional to the product of the two masses and inversely proportional to the square of the
distance of separation.

Another means of representing the proportionalities is to express the relationships in the

form of an equation using a constant of proportionality. This equation is shown below.

The constant of proportionality (G) in the above equation is known as the universal
gravitation constant. The precise value of G was determined experimentally by Henry
Cavendish in the century after Newton's death. The value of G is found to be

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 G = 6.673 x 10-11 N m2/kg2
The units on G may seem rather odd; nonetheless they are sensible. When the units on G
are substituted into the equation above and multiplied by m1• m2 units and divided by d2
units, the result will be Newton’s - the unit of force.

Using Newton's Gravitation Equation to Solve Problems:

Knowing the value of G allows us to calculate the force of gravitational attraction

between any two objects of known mass and known separation distance. As a first example,
consider the following problem.

Sample Problem #1

Determine the force of gravitational attraction between the earth (m = 5.98 x 1024 kg)
and a 70-kg physics student if the student is standing at sea level, a distance of 6.38 x 106 m
from earth's center.

The solution of the problem involves substituting known values of G (6.673 x 10-11 N
m2/kg2), m1 (5.98 x 1024 kg), m2 (70 kg) and d (6.38 x 106 m) into the universal gravitation
equation and solving for Fgrav. The solution is as follows:

Sample Problem #2

Determine the force of gravitational attraction between the earth (m = 5.98 x 1024 kg)
and a 70-kg physics student if the student is in an airplane at 40000 feet above earth's surface.
This would place the student a distance of 6.39 x 106 m from earth's center.

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 The solution of the problem involves substituting known values of G (6.673 x 10-11 N
m2/kg2), m1 (5.98 x 1024 kg), m2 (70 kg) and d (6.39 x 106 m) into the universal gravitation
equation and solving for Fgrav. The solution is as follows:

Two general conceptual comments can be made about the results of the two sample
calculations above. First, observe that the force of gravity acting upon the student (a.k.a. the
student's weight) is less on an airplane at 40 000 feet than at sea level. This illustrates the inverse
relationship between separation distance and the force of gravity (or in this case, the weight of
the student). The student weighs less at the higher altitude. However, a mere change of 40 000
feet further from the center of the Earth is virtually negligible. This altitude change altered the
student's weight changed by 2 N that is much less than 1% of the original weight. A distance of
40 000 feet (from the earth's surface to a high altitude airplane) is not very far when compared to
a distance of 6.38 x 106 m (equivalent to nearly 20 000 000 feet from the center of the earth to
the surface of the earth). This alteration of distance is like a drop in a bucket when compared to
the large radius of the Earth. As shown in the diagram below, distance of separation becomes
much more influential when a significant variation is made.

The second conceptual comment to be made about the above sample calculations is that
the use of Newton's universal gravitation equation to calculate the force of gravity (or weight)
yields the same result as when calculating it using the equation presented in Unit 2:

Fgrav = m•g = (70 kg)•(9.8 m/s2) = 686 N

The Universality of Gravity:

Gravitational interactions do not simply exist between the earth and other objects; and not
simply between the sun and other planets. Gravitational interactions exist between all objects
with an intensity that is directly proportional to the product of their masses. So as you sit in your
seat in the physics classroom, you are gravitationally attracted to your lab partner, to the desk
you are working at, and even to your physics book. Newton's revolutionary idea was that gravity
is universal - ALL objects attract in proportion to the product of their masses. Gravity is

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universal. Of course, most gravitational forces are so minimal to be noticed. Gravitational forces
are only recognizable as the masses of objects become large. To illustrate this, use Newton's
universal gravitation equation to calculate the force of gravity between the following familiar
objects. Click the buttons to check answers.