Gravity : Definition, Formula and Examples

Gravity

Gravity is one of the most important things in how we interact with the world. We rarely think about gravity in our everyday lives. Every system and organ inside the human body depends on it. One of the fundamental forces of the universe is gravity.

Every element in the universe has a particular mass, and it exerts a gravitational force on other objects surrounding it. The gravitational force depends upon the mass. The higher the mass higher the gravitational force exerted. Gravity keeps all the planets in the solar system in orbit around the sun. The moon orbits the earth because of gravity.

Any physical body with a mass is attracted toward the center of the earth by gravitational force.

In 1687, sir Isaac Newton was sitting under a tree and saw an apple falling. He wondered why the apple did not go up, right, or left. Why did it go down? There was clearly a force acting on the apple. Newton called this force gravity. Newton's law of universal gravitation was the theory by sir Isaac Newton.

Gravity has a major role in the sustainment of life on earth. The sun's gravitational pull on the earth keeps the atmosphere in place, and the air is provided, which we need to survive. We are also kept safe from the sun. Therefore, we can enjoy the warmth and light provided by the sun.

Examples of gravity

The gases which are present in the sun are held together by gravitational force. Water would hover at the top of the glass if gravity was not present. Water is kept still in glass by gravity. Tides in the ocean are caused by the force of attraction between the earth and the moon. Moon is revolved around the earth by means of gravity. The effect of gravity on all objects is the same. If you drop a glass and a chicken feather, the feather and the glass will fall at the same speed. Gravity is considered to be the weakest force in nature. The effect that gravity shows on an object purely depends on the mass of the object.