THE CONCEPT OF GRAVITY


             THE CONCEPT OF GRAVITY

    Gravitational field is a convenient and informative method of describing the gravitational attraction of one body for another at a distance. Gravitation is a force force field and influences the motion of the object in the region where it operates without contraction. This force acts on every object with mass and permeates all of space. 
       The phenomenon whereby the earth attracts every object in its gravitational field is regarded as gravitational attraction and its effects is to change the velocity of the object under its influence.

        Gravitational attraction simulation.

The acceleration of a body due to the earth's gravitational attraction is known as acceleration due to gravity which is represented by g with an approximated value of 10m/s^2. The acceleration due to gravity is uniform in a given locality and same for all bodies irrespective of their masses. It however varies from to place. It is minimum at the equator with the value 9.78m/s^2 and increases with latitude reaching a maximum value of 9.83m/s^2 at the poles of the earth.                                                   It is because acceleration due to gravity is same for all bodies in the same locality that all object, irrespective of their masses, when released from a height, reaches the ground simultaneously. That is, when a stick and a leaf are being released from a height is expected to reach the ground at the same time. 

                       .                          Light and heavier object released from a height.                                     

      This is however, not what it is as the stick is seen falling before the light leaf. This is due to air friction which retards the movement the light leaf more than the heavier stick. Due to it's large surface area, the leaf falls more slowly than the heavier stick because of the large amount of air that must be pushed aside to let it pass. However, in the absence of air resistance, both the light leaf and the heavier stick will reach the ground at the same time.Uchennaezeh.blogspot.com

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