The power of universal gravitation: the characteristic and practical significance

XVI - XVII century, many rightly called one of the most glorious periods in the history of physics. It was at this time that the foundations were laid largely, without which further development of this science would be simply unthinkable. Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler have done a great job to declare physics as a science that can answer virtually every question. A law of universal gravitation stands apart in a whole series of discoveries, the final formulation of which belongs to the outstanding English scientist Isaac Newton.

The main significance of the work of this scientist was not to discover the power of universal gravitation - Galileo and Kepler spoke about the presence of this quantity even before Newton, but in that he was the first to prove that both on the Earth and in outer space act the same The same forces of interaction between bodies.

Newton in practice confirmed and theoretically substantiated the fact that absolutely all bodies in the Universe, including those that are located on the Earth, interact with each other. This interaction has received the name of gravitational, while the process of universal gravitation itself is gravitation.
This interaction occurs between the bodies because there is a special kind of matter, unlike the others, which in science has been called the gravitational field. This field exists and operates around absolutely any object, thus no protection from it does not exist, as it possesses on what not similar ability to get into any materials.

The force of universal gravitation, the definition and formulation of which was given by Isaac Newton, is directly dependent on the product of the masses of interacting bodies, and in inverse relationship to the square of the distance between these objects. According to Newton, irrefutably confirmed by practical research, the power of universal gravitation is found by the following formula:

F = Mm / r2.

In it, the gravitational constant G, which is approximately equal to 6.67 * 10-11 (H * m2) / kg2, is of particular importance.

The force of universal gravitation with which bodies are attracted to the Earth is a special case of Newton's law and is called gravity. In this case, the gravitational constant and the mass of the Earth itself can be neglected, so the formula for finding the force of gravity will look like this:

F = mg.

Here, g is nothing more than a free-fall acceleration whose numerical value is approximately 9.8 m / s2.

Newton's law explains not only the processes occurring directly on the Earth, it answers many questions related to the design of the entire solar system. In particular, the power of universal gravitation between heavenly bodies has a decisive influence on the motion of planets in its orbits. A theoretical description of this movement was given by Kepler, but the rationale for it became possible only after Newton formulated his famous law.

Newton himself linked the phenomena of terrestrial and extraterrestrial gravity with a simple example: when fired from a cannon, the core does not fly straight, but along an arcuate trajectory. At the same time, with an increase in the charge of propellant and the mass of the core, the latter will fly away farther and farther. Finally, if we assume that it is possible to get so much gunpowder and construct such a cannon that the nucleus orbits around the Globe, then, after making this movement, it will not stop, but will continue its circular (elliptical) movement, becoming an artificial satellite of the Earth. As a consequence, the power of universal gravitation is the same in nature both on Earth and in outer space.