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<h2 class="title">Forces Between Masses</h2>
<p>Gravity is arguably the first force that people really learn about. People don't really think of it as learning about gravity because it is such a big part of our everyday lives. Babies learning to crawl or walk are struggling against gravity, games involving jumping, climbing or balls all give people a sense of the effect of gravity. The saying “everything that goes up, must come down” is all about gravity. Rain falls from the sky because of gravity and so much more. We all know that these things happen but we don't often stop to ask what is gravity, what causes it and how can we describe it more accurately than “everything that goes up, must come down”?</p>
<div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_107057" style="width: 800px"><a href="https://data.ulearngo.com/assets/981f6d14-6236-4312-9705-5712bb94ffda"><img alt="skydiving" class="size-full wp-image-107057" height="533" src="https://data.ulearngo.com/assets/981f6d14-6236-4312-9705-5712bb94ffda" width="800"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Skydivers falling towards earth's surface under the influence of gravity. Image credit: public domain</p></div>
<p>All of the examples mentioned involve objects with mass falling to the ground, they are being attracted to the Earth. Gravity is the name we give to the force that arises between objects because of their mass. It is always an attractive force. It is a non-contact force, therefore it acts at a distance. The Earth is responsible for a gravitational force on the moon which keeps it in its orbit around the Earth and the gravitational force the moon exerts on the Earth is the dominant cause of ocean tides.</p>
<p>Sir Isaac Newton was the first scientist to precisely define the gravitational force, and to show that it could explain both falling bodies and astronomical motions. The gravitational force is relatively simple. It is <strong>always attractive</strong>, and it <strong>depends only on the masses</strong> involved and the <strong>distance between them</strong>. Stated in modern language, Newton’s universal law of gravitation states that every particle in the universe attracts every other particle with a force along a line joining them. The force is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.</p>
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Forces Between Masses

Physics is a science discipline concerned with the nature and properties of matter and energy. Physics topics include mechanics, heat, light and radiation, sound, electricity, magnetism, the structure of atoms, and so on.

Physics

Learn about the principles of motion and forces, including static and kinetic friction, normal forces, tension, and Newton&#8217;s laws, with practical examples such as lifting weights, rockets, and balloons.


Forces Between Masses

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