Earth holds life in it. It has all the things needed to sustain all kinds of life and creatures and it makes it livable. There are various factors which contribute to this. Earth is different from other planets due to many factors. One of them is the gravitational force which has the apt amount of ability to hold everything to it without destroying them. Gravitational force is present in all the heavenly objects but some have it in excess and some in deficiency. This article is going to deal with this force which is a key factor for life on earth.

What is meant by gravitational force?

When it comes to the gravity definition, gravitation is the universal force of attraction acting between all matters present on the globe. Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation is used to explain the concept of gravitational force. Each body in this universe attracts the other bodies towards itself with the help of a force that is referred to as gravitational force. Therefore, it can be said that gravitation is basically a study of the interaction between two masses. When taking two masses for the study, the heavier one is referred to as the source mass and the lighter one is referred to as test mass.

Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation

According to Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation, every massive particle in the universe tends to attract every other massive particle with force. Moreover, this force is proportional to the calculated product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance that exists between the two bodies. This particular law was derived from the observations that were made by the induction. 

Another more modern way to state the law providing the gravity definition is, ‘each point mass attracts each single other point mass with the help of a force that points along the line intersecting both the points. It is the calculated product of the two masses to which this particular force is proportional and it is inversely proportional to the square of the distance that exists between the point masses of two bodies.’

What are the characteristics of gravitational force?

Here mentioned are some characteristics of the gravitational force:

• The gravitational force can be basically defined as the force working across the line joining two bodies’ centres.
• This force is always stated as a long-range force. The force takes place even when one talks about the considerable distance.
• The concept of gravitational force is derived from Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation. 
• Gravitation can also be referred to as a conservative force. It means that the work done by the gravitational force in displacing a particular body from one place or point to the other one. It is on the initial and final positions of the body that the same is dependent. In addition to this, it is independent of the path being followed.
• Unlike electrostatic and magnetic forces, one must know that gravitational force is always attractive.

What is the significance of gravitational force?

When talking about the significance of gravitational force, here mentioned are some points specifying the importance of gravitation:

• The gravitational force binds all organisms or matter to the earth.
• It is the gravitational force that is responsible for holding our atmosphere in its place.
• The reason why all planets revolve around the sun is the gravitational force. Also, it is the gravitational force due to which the moon revolves around the earth.
• Even the tides formed due to the rising and falling of water in the ocean result from the gravitational force exerted by both the sun and moon on the planet earth.

What is the formula to calculate gravitational force?

Now that the gravity definition and significance of gravitational force are known, it is time to learn about its formula. 

The formula using which the gravitational force can be measured is:

F = G (m1m2) / r^2

Here, 

• F represents the gravitational force between two masses pr bodies
• m1 is the mass for the first body
• m2 is the mss for the second body
• r is the distance that exists between the centre of two bodies
• G is the gravitational constant, the value of which is (6.674×10−11 m3⋅kg−1⋅s−2)

Mentioning some real-life examples of gravitational force:

Following mentioned are the gravitation examples:

• The force that acts between the earth and the sun is the best real-life gravitation example.
• Gravitation is the force responsible for the revolution of all planets around the sun and the moon around the earth.
• An organism walking on the planet earth is another example.
• The tides are caused in the ocean because of the force from the moon.
• Gravitation is the force holding all the gases in the sun.

Conclusion

Gravitational force is significant for the survival of the planet earth and the entire universe. Also, no organism can live on the earth without gravity. The gravity of the sun keeps all planets, including earth, in orbit around it. Not only this, but gravitational force holds the atmosphere and air on the earth appropriate for the organisms to survive. To know more about the gravity definition along with its significance, formula and examples consider going through the above-mentioned article.