Table of Contents
Do gravitational fields exist everywhere?
Gravity is not just the attraction between objects and the Earth. It is an attraction that exists between all objects, everywhere in the universe.
What causes a gravitational field?
Objects with more mass have more gravity. Gravity also gets weaker with distance. So, the closer objects are to each other, the stronger their gravitational pull is. Earth’s gravity comes from all its mass.
Why study of gravitational field is important?
In physics, a gravitational field is a model used to explain the influences that a massive body extends into the space around itself, producing a force on another massive body. Thus, a gravitational field is used to explain gravitational phenomena, and is measured in newtons per kilogram (N/kg).
Why does the value of G vary from place to place?
The gravitational potential at the surface of Earth is due mainly to the mass and rotation of Earth, but there are also small contributions from the distant Sun and Moon. As Earth rotates, those small contributions at any one place vary with time, and so the local value of g varies slightly.
Why is it important to study the gravitational field?
Gravitation is a great starting point for the subject of fields, introducing and developing concepts that are found in all field physics (such as field strength and potential), and it also gives an opportunity for revising Circular Motion and Energy.
What do gravitational fields act on?
As one example, a gravitational field exists around the Earth and indeed around every particle of mass that moves with it. At every point in space, the field has direction in respect to the particle. The strength of the gravitational field around a specific particle of mass, m, at…
What is a gravitational field in physics?
The gravitational field is the gravitational force per unit mass that would be exerted on a small mass at that point. It is a vector field, and points in the direction of the force that the mass would feel.