Gravitational constant

The gravitational constant (G) is an experimentally calculated value that is involved in determining the gravitational force between two objects.^[1] Its primary use is outlined in the following equation:

$F_{g} = G\frac{m_{1}m_{2}}{r^{2}}$

$F_{g}$ is the gravitational force, measured in newtons
$G$ is the gravitational constant
$m_{1}$ and $m_{2}$ are the masses of both objects, measured in kilograms
$r$ 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.

For more about how the gravitational constant was found please see Physics Central.

References

↑ E. Mazur, "Gravity," in Principles and Practice of Physics Volume 1. Pearson, ch. 13, pp. 325

[A-1] E. Mazur, "Gravity," in Principles and Practice of Physics Volume 1. Pearson, ch. 13, pp. 325

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Gravitational constant

References