Gravity is a fundamental force that causes objects with mass or energy to attract each other. It works by pulling objects toward one another, with the strength of this pull proportional to the masses involved and decreasing with the distance between them. On Earth, this force pulls objects toward the planet's center, giving them weight and causing them to fall when dropped. Gravity can be understood through two main frameworks:
- Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation describes gravity as a force of attraction between any two masses. The force is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. This explains why gravity keeps planets in orbit and why objects fall to the ground.
- Einstein's General Theory of Relativity describes gravity not as a force but as the curvature of spacetime caused by mass. Massive objects warp the fabric of spacetime, and this curvature guides the motion of other objects, including light. The more massive an object, the stronger its spacetime curvature, which we perceive as gravity.
Additionally, gravity affects not only mass but also light, and extreme concentrations of mass, like black holes, create gravitational fields so strong that even light cannot escape. In summary, gravity is the attractive interaction between masses that shapes the motion of planets, stars, galaxies, and influences everyday phenomena like objects falling, tides, and the structure of the universe itself.
