Gravitational constant: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Cavendish_Torsion_Balance_Diagram.png|300px|thumb|right|Figure 1. A torsional balance used to measure the gravitational constant.<ref>Wikimedia Commons. (June 1, 2016). ''Torsional balance by Chris Burks (Chetvorno)'' Own workThis vector image was created with Inkscape., Public Domain, [Online]. Available: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2660162</ref>]] | [[File:Cavendish_Torsion_Balance_Diagram.png|300px|thumb|right|Figure 1. A torsional balance used to measure the gravitational constant.<ref>Wikimedia Commons. (June 1, 2016). ''Torsional balance by Chris Burks (Chetvorno)'' Own workThis vector image was created with Inkscape., Public Domain, [Online]. Available: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2660162</ref>]] | ||
<onlyinclude>The gravitational constant (G) is an experimentally calculated value that is involved in determining the [[gravitational force]] between two objects.</onlyinclude><ref name = A>E. Mazur, "Gravity," in ''Principles and Practice of Physics Volume 1''. Pearson, ch. 13, pp. 325</ref> Its primary use is outlined in the following equation: | <onlyinclude>The gravitational constant (G) is an experimentally calculated value that is involved in determining the [[gravitational force]] between two objects.</onlyinclude><ref name = A>E. Mazur, "Gravity," in ''Principles and Practice of Physics Volume 1''. Pearson, ch. 13, pp. 325</ref> Its primary use is outlined in the following equation: | ||
< | <center><math> F_{g} = G\frac{m_{1}m_{2}}{r^{2}} </math> </center> | ||
:* <math>F_{g}</math> is the [[gravitational force]], measured in [[newton]]s | |||
:* <math>G</math> is the gravitational constant | |||
:* <math>m_{1}</math> and <math>m_{2}</math> are the [[mass]]es of both objects, measured in [[kilogram]]s | |||
:* <math>r</math> is the distance between the objects, measured in [[meter]]s | |||
The gravitational constant is therefore a proportionality constant between the gravitational force and the result of the product of the masses of two objects divided by the square of the distance between them. This is an example of an [[inverse square law]]. Historically, this constant was first measured using a torsional balance as seen in figure 1. | The gravitational constant is therefore a proportionality constant between the gravitational force and the result of the product of the masses of two objects divided by the square of the distance between them. This is an example of an [[inverse square law]]. Historically, this constant was first measured using a torsional balance as seen in figure 1. | ||
Revision as of 03:43, 27 August 2017
The gravitational constant (G) is an experimentally calculated value that is involved in determining the gravitational force between two objects.[2] Its primary use is outlined in the following equation:
- is the gravitational force, measured in newtons
- is the gravitational constant
- and are the masses of both objects, measured in kilograms
- is the distance between the objects, measured in meters
The gravitational constant is therefore a proportionality constant between the gravitational force and the result of the product of the masses of two objects divided by the square of the distance between them. This is an example of an inverse square law. Historically, this constant was first measured using a torsional balance as seen in figure 1.
For more about how the gravitational constant was found please see Physics Central or this Scientific American article on the Puzzling measurement of the Big - G gravitational constant.
Phet: Gravitational force
The University of Colorado has graciously allowed us to use the following Phet simulation. To get a physical intuition about how the law of gravity works, please explore the simulation below. Notice that even the biggest gravitational force below is still quite small compared to how much a person weighs (about 500-1000 N).
References
- ↑ Wikimedia Commons. (June 1, 2016). Torsional balance by Chris Burks (Chetvorno) Own workThis vector image was created with Inkscape., Public Domain, [Online]. Available: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2660162
- ↑ E. Mazur, "Gravity," in Principles and Practice of Physics Volume 1. Pearson, ch. 13, pp. 325