Skip to content

Question

Why did Newton conclude that the gravitational force decreases with the square of the distance?

Options

Choose one · Correct answer highlighted

Explanation

Newton observed that the centripetal acceleration of the Moon (am = V2Rm) was much smaller than the acceleration due to gravity on Earth’s surface (g), and their ratio matched the inverse square of their distances from Earth’s center (gam≈Rm2RE2).

Discussion

Comments

0 comments

Share your thoughts. New comments appear after admin approval.

No comments yet. Be the first to start the discussion.