law of gravitation

American  

[law uhv grav-i-tey-shuhn] / ˈlɔ əv ˌgræv ɪˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

Physics.

1. a law stating that any two masses attract each other with a force equal to a constant (​called thegravitational constant ) multiplied by the product of the two masses and divided by the square of the distance between them.

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law of gravitation Scientific  

1. See Newton's law of gravitation

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Etymology

Origin of law of gravitation

First recorded in 1755–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

law of gravitation

If this alternative gravity theory is correct, it would be a "major revolution," Loeb said, emphasizing it would be at the scale of Newton's law of gravitation and Einstein's law of gravity.

From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2021

What was the great insight Newton had regarding Earth’s gravity that allowed him to develop the universal law of gravitation?

From Textbooks ● Oct. 13, 2016

In 1687 Newton’s universal law of gravitation revealed ocean tides are caused by the attraction of the sun and moon.

From Scientific American ● Apr. 29, 2015

Having a new and independent way of measuring G could therefore enable physicists to redefine how the law of gravitation works.

From Nature ● Jun. 17, 2014

True, this is pretty near the chaos of the Greeks, but Kant knew of the operation of the Newtonian law of gravitation, which the Greeks did not.

From Astronomy: The Science of the Heavenly Bodies by Todd, David Peck