Gravitational constant

physical constant relating the gravitational force between objects to their mass and distance From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gravitational constant
Remove ads

The gravitational constant, called in physics equations, is an empirical physical constant. It is used to show the force between two objects caused by gravity. The gravitational constant appears in Isaac Newton's universal law of gravitation.

Thumb
The gravitational constant G is a key quantity in Newton's law of universal gravitation

is about 6.67430×10−11 N⋅m2/kg2,[1] and is denoted by letter . In the SI system, the constant is equal to the force in newtons that two objects, each with a mass of 1 kilogram, exert on each other at a distance of 1 meter.

It usually appears in Sir Isaac Newton's law of universal gravitation, and in Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity. It is also known as the universal gravitational constant, Newton's constant, and colloquially as Big G.[2] It should not be confused with "small g" (g), which is the local gravitational field of the Earth (equivalent to the free-fall acceleration).[3]

Remove ads

References

Loading related searches...

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.

Remove ads