Question

How is gravity affected by distance?

Answer 1

Recall how we derive the fundamental law of gravitation. You may remember that combining the proportionality relations of the gravitational force with the distance of separation and the masses and then introducing a proportionality constant gives the law. So, from the expression of this law, you could easily answer the question.

Formula used:
Gravitational law,
${{F}_{g}}=\dfrac{GMm}{{{d}^{2}}}$

Complete solution:
In the question, we are asked to find how the distance affects gravity. We could answer the above question, by using the universal law of gravity. In fact, one among the relations that leads to the formation of this law. So, the universal law of gravitation can be given by,
${{F}_{g}}=\dfrac{GMm}{{{d}^{2}}}$
Where,
${{F}_{g}}$ is the gravitational force of attraction
G is the universal gravitational constant
M and m is the masses of the two bodies
d is the distance of separation of the two bodies

Thus, from the law, we could easily conclude that the gravitational force is inversely related to the distance of separation. That is, we could say that the gravitational force of attraction between two bodies is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. So, higher the distance of the separation between the two bodies is the lower the gravitational force of attraction between them.

Hence, we have discussed how gravity is related to distance.

Note:
Gravitational force is the fundamental force that is present in the universe. This universal law of gravitation was published by Sir Isaac Newton. The value of the universal gravitational constant is given by,
$G=6.673\times {{10}^{-11}}N{{m}^{2}}/k{{g}^{2}}$
This precise measurement was done by Henry Cavendish experimentally. The universality of Gravitational interactions makes it really significant.