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Unit-6: Chp-1: Newtonian Gravitation

PHYSICXION: The fundamental concepts of gravitation, focusing on Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation and its applications to planetary motion.
 
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The fundamental concepts of gravitation, focusing on Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation and its applications to planetary motion.

Every particle in the universe attracts every other particle with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square 1 of the distance between their centers.

  • Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation: This law describes the force of attraction between any two objects with mass.
  • Gravitational Force: How this force varies with the masses of the objects and the distance between them.
  • Acceleration due to Gravity: The acceleration of an object falling freely under the influence of Earth's gravity.
  • Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion: These laws describe the motion of planets around the Sun, providing a framework for understanding planetary orbits.
  • Gravitational Potential Energy: The potential energy associated with the gravitational force between two objects.Escape Velocity: The minimum velocity required for an object to escape the gravitational pull of a planet or other celestial body.

A brief view of its history:

The history of Newtonian gravity is deeply intertwined with the scientific revolution of the 17th century:

➤ Early Ideas:
  • Ancient Greek philosophers like Aristotle pondered the nature of gravity, but their ideas were often philosophical rather than scientific.
  • Johannes Kepler (early 17th century) formulated his three laws of planetary motion, describing the elliptical orbits of planets around the Sun. These laws provided crucial observational data that would later be explained by Newton's theory.

➤ Newton's Breakthrough:
  • The "Apple Story": While the famous story of an apple falling on Newton's head might be apocryphal, it captures the essence of his insight. He realized that the same force that pulls an apple to the ground also governs the motion of the Moon around the Earth and the planets around the Sun.
  • Universal Law of Gravitation: In his groundbreaking work Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (1687), Newton formulated the law of universal gravitation, unifying celestial and terrestrial mechanics.
➤ Impact:
  • Newton's law of gravitation revolutionized our understanding of the universe. It explained a wide range of phenomena, from the tides to the orbits of comets.
  • It laid the foundation for classical mechanics and had a profound impact on the development of astronomy and physics. 

This historical perspective highlights the significance of Newton's law of gravitation as a landmark achievement in the history of science.


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Interesting Facts:


  • The Cavendish Experiment: This famous experiment, conducted by Henry Cavendish in the late 18th century, provided the first accurate measurement of the gravitational constant (G). This constant is crucial for calculating the gravitational force between objects.
  • Gravity and Time: Einstein's theory of General Relativity, which superseded Newtonian gravity in certain contexts, predicts that gravity can affect the passage of time. This phenomenon, known as gravitational time dilation, has been experimentally verified.
  • Tidal Forces: Tidal forces arise from the difference in gravitational force across an extended body. These forces are responsible for the tides on Earth, caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun.
  • Gravitational Waves: Predicted by Einstein's theory of General Relativity, gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of spacetime caused by accelerating masses. These waves were first detected directly in 2015, confirming a major prediction of Einstein's theory.
These facts offer a glimpse into the fascinating and ongoing exploration of gravity, a fundamental force that shapes the universe.

Newtonian gravity views gravity as a force acting between two masses. Einstein's theory of General Relativity, however, describes gravity as a curvature of spacetime caused by mass and energy.
  • Newton: Gravity is a force that acts instantaneously between objects.
  • Einstein: Gravity is a consequence of the warping of spacetime by mass and energy. Objects follow the curvature of spacetime, appearing to be attracted to each other.
Einstein's theory provides a more accurate description of gravity in extreme conditions, such as near black holes or at high speeds, where Newtonian gravity breaks down.


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NOTE-1: Theory Of  Newtonian Gravitation.

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