Explanation:
Newton's law of gravity defines the attractive force between all objects that possess mass. Understanding the law of gravity, one of the fundamental forces of physics, offers profound insights into the way our universe functions.
Newton eventually came to the conclusion that, in fact, the apple and the moon were influenced by the same force. He named that force gravitation (or gravity) after the Latin word gravitas which literally translates into "heaviness" or "weight."
In the Principia, Newton defined the force of gravity in the following way (translated from the Latin):
Every particle of matter in the universe attracts every other particle with a force that is directly proportional to the product of the masses of the particles and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
Mathematically, this translates into the force equation:
FG = Gm1m2/r2
In this equation, the quantities are defined as:
Fg = The force of gravity (typically in newtons)
G = The gravitational constant, which adds the proper level of proportionality to the equation. The value of G is 6.67259 x 10-11 N * m2 / kg2, although the value will change if other units are being used.
m1 & m1 = The masses of the two particles (typically in kilograms)
r = The straight-line distance between the two particles (typically in meters)
