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{{Short description|Attraction of masses and energy}}
{{Other uses}} {{Other uses}}
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{{redirect-multi|2|Gravitation|Law of Gravity}} {{redirect-multi|2|Gravitation|Law of Gravity}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2014}}{{Classical mechanics}} {{Use American English|date=December 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
] ] ] on the Moon enacting the legend of Galileo's gravity experiment. (1.38 ], ]/] format).]]
] in the photo are distorted due to gravity.]]
{{Classical mechanics}}


In physics, '''gravity''' ({{Etymology|lat|gravitas|weight}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://browse.dict.cc/latin-english/gravitas.html |title=dict.cc dictionary :: gravitas :: English-Latin translation |access-date=11 September 2018 |archive-date=13 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813203625/https://browse.dict.cc/latin-english/gravitas.html |url-status=live }}</ref>) is a ] primarily observed as mutual attraction between all things that have ]. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 10<sup>38</sup> times weaker than the ], 10<sup>36</sup> times weaker than the ] and 10<sup>29</sup> times weaker than the ]. As a result, it has no significant influence at the level of ]s.<ref>{{cite book |title=Scientific Development and Misconceptions Through the Ages: A Reference Guide |edition=illustrated |first1=Robert E. |last1=Krebs |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-313-30226-8 |page= |url=https://archive.org/details/scientificdevelo0000kreb|url-access=registration }}</ref> However, gravity is the most significant interaction between objects at the ], and it determines the motion of ]s, ]s, ], and even ].
'''Gravity''', or '''gravitation''', is a ] by which all things with ] are brought toward (or ''gravitate'' toward) one another, including ]s, ]s and ]. Since ], all forms of ], including ], also cause gravitation and are under the influence of it. On ], gravity gives ] to physical objects and causes the ocean ]. The gravitational attraction of the original gaseous matter present in the ] caused it to begin coalescing, forming ]s — and the stars to group together into ] — so gravity is responsible for many of the large scale structures in the Universe. Gravity has an infinite range, although its effects become increasingly weaker on farther objects.


], gravity gives ] to ]s, and the ] is responsible for sublunar ]s in the oceans. The corresponding antipodal tide is caused by the inertia of the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Gravity also has many important biological functions, helping to guide the growth of plants through the process of ] and influencing the ] of fluids in ]s.
Gravity is most accurately described by the ] (proposed by ] in 1915) which describes gravity not as a ], but as a consequence of the curvature of ] caused by the uneven distribution of ]/]. The most extreme example of this curvature of spacetime is a ], from which nothing can escape once past its event horizon, not even light.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hubblesite.org/explore_astronomy/black_holes/home.html|title=HubbleSite: Black Holes: Gravity's Relentless Pull|website=hubblesite.org|access-date=2016-10-07}}</ref> More gravity results in ], where time lapses more slowly at a lower (stronger) ]. However, for most applications, gravity is well approximated by ], which postulates that gravity causes a ] where two bodies of mass are directly drawn (or 'attracted') to each other according to a mathematical relationship, where the attractive force is ] to the product of their masses and ] to the ] of the ] between them.<!---This is considered{{by whom|date=February 2016}} to occur over an infinite range, such that all bodies (with mass) in the Universe are drawn to each other no matter how far they are apart.{{citation needed|date=February 2016|reason=infinite range claim is not supported in the body of this article}}--->


The gravitational attraction between the original gaseous matter in the ] caused it to ] and ] which eventually condensed into galaxies, so gravity is responsible for many of the large-scale structures in the universe. Gravity has an infinite range, although its effects become weaker as objects get farther away.
Gravity is the weakest of the four ]s of nature. The gravitational attraction is approximately 10<sup>38</sup> times weaker than the ], 10<sup>36</sup> times weaker than the ] and 10<sup>29</sup> times weaker than the ]. As a consequence, gravity has a negligible influence on the behavior of subatomic particles, and plays no role in determining the internal properties of everyday matter (but see ]). On the other hand, gravity is the dominant interaction at the ], and is the cause of the formation, shape and ] (]) of astronomical bodies. It is responsible for various phenomena observed on Earth and throughout the Universe; for example, it causes the Earth and the other planets to orbit the Sun, the ] to orbit the Earth, the formation of ]s, the ], ] and ].


Gravity is most accurately described by the ], proposed by ] in 1915, which describes gravity not as a force, but as the ] of ], caused by the uneven distribution of mass, and causing masses to move along ] lines. The most extreme example of this curvature of spacetime is a ], from which nothing—not even light—can escape once past the black hole's ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hubblesite.org/explore_astronomy/black_holes/home.html|title=HubbleSite: Black Holes: Gravity's Relentless Pull|website=hubblesite.org|access-date=7 October 2016|archive-date=26 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226185228/http://hubblesite.org/explore_astronomy/black_holes/home.html|url-status=live}}</ref> However, for most applications, gravity is well approximated by ], which describes gravity as a ] causing any two bodies to be attracted toward each other, with magnitude ] to the product of their masses and ] to the ] of the ] between them.
The earliest instance of gravity in the Universe, possibly in the form of ], ] or a ], along with ordinary ] and ], developed during the ] (up to 10<sup>−43</sup> seconds after the ] of the ]), possibly from a primeval state, such as a ], ] or ], in a currently unknown manner.<ref name="Planck-UOregon">{{cite web |author=Staff |title=Birth of the Universe |url=http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/cosmo/lectures/lec20.html |date= |work=] |accessdate=September 24, 2016 }} - discusses "]" and "]" at the ] of the ]</ref> For this reason, in part, pursuit of a ], the merging of the general theory of relativity and ] (or ]) into ], has become an area of research.


Current models of ] imply that the earliest instance of gravity in the universe, possibly in the form of ], ] or a ], along with ordinary ] and ], developed during the ] (up to 10<sup>−43</sup> seconds after the ] of the universe), possibly from a primeval state, such as a ], ] or ], in a currently unknown manner.<ref name="Planck-UOregon">{{cite web |author=Staff |title=Birth of the Universe |url=http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/cosmo/lectures/lec20.html |website=] |access-date=24 September 2016 |archive-date=28 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128045313/http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/cosmo/lectures/lec20.html |url-status=live }} – discusses "]" and "]" at the ] of the Universe</ref> Scientists are currently working to develop a theory of gravity consistent with ], a quantum gravity theory,<ref name="NYT-20221010">{{cite news |last=Overbye |first=Dennis |author-link=Dennis Overbye |title=Black Holes May Hide a Mind-Bending Secret About Our Universe - Take gravity, add quantum mechanics, stir. What do you get? Just maybe, a holographic cosmos. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/10/science/black-holes-cosmology-hologram.html |date=10 October 2022 |work=] |accessdate=10 October 2022 |archive-date=16 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116151210/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/10/science/black-holes-cosmology-hologram.html |url-status=live }}</ref> which would allow gravity to be united in a common mathematical framework (a ]) with the other three fundamental interactions of physics.
==History of gravitational theory==
{{main article|History of gravitational theory}}
===Earlier Concepts of Gravity===


==Definitions==
While the modern European thinkers are rightly credited with development of gravitational theory, there were pre-existing ideas which had identified the force of gravity.
{{Dfn|Gravitation}}, also known as gravitational attraction, is the mutual attraction between all masses in the universe. Gravity is the gravitational attraction at the surface of a planet or other celestial body;<ref>{{harvtxt|McGraw-Hill Dict|1989}}</ref> gravity may also include, in addition to gravitation, the ] resulting from the planet's rotation {{Xref|text=(see {{slink||Earth's gravity}})|printworthy=1}}.<ref name=HWM/>
Some of the earliest descriptions came from early mathematician-astronomers, such as ], who had identified the force of gravity to explain why objects do not fall out when the Earth rotates.<ref>*{{cite book
| first= Amartya
| last= Sen
| title= The Argumentative Indian
| date= 2005
| page= 29
| publisher= Allen Lane
| isbn= 978-0-7139-9687-6}} </ref>


==History==
Later, the works of ] referred to the presence of this force.{{cn|date=October 2016}}
{{main|History of gravitational theory}}


===Scientific revolution=== ===Ancient world===
The nature and mechanism of gravity were explored by a wide range of ancient scholars. In ], ] believed that objects fell towards the Earth because the Earth was the center of the Universe and attracted all of the mass in the Universe towards it. He also thought that the speed of a falling object should increase with its weight, a conclusion that was later shown to be false.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cappi |first=Alberto |title=The concept of gravity before Newton |url=http://www.cultureandcosmos.org/pdfs/16/Cappi_INSAPVII_Gravity_before_Newton.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.cultureandcosmos.org/pdfs/16/Cappi_INSAPVII_Gravity_before_Newton.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |website=Culture and Cosmos}}</ref> While Aristotle's view was widely accepted throughout Ancient Greece, there were other thinkers such as ] who correctly predicted that the attraction of gravity was not unique to the Earth.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bakker |first1=Frederik |last2=Palmerino |first2=Carla Rita |date=1 June 2020 |title=Motion to the Center or Motion to the Whole? Plutarch's Views on Gravity and Their Influence on Galileo |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/709138 |journal=Isis |volume=111 |issue=2 |pages=217–238 |doi=10.1086/709138 |s2cid=219925047 |issn=0021-1753 |hdl=2066/219256 |hdl-access=free |access-date=2 May 2022 |archive-date=2 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502172704/https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/709138 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Modern work on gravitational theory began with the work of ] in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. In his famous (though possibly ]l<ref name=Ball_Piza>{{cite journal |last=Ball |first=Phil |date=June 2005 |title=Tall Tales |journal=Nature News |doi=10.1038/news050613-10 }}</ref>) experiment dropping balls from the ], and later with careful measurements of balls rolling down ], Galileo showed that gravitational acceleration is the same for all objects. This was a major departure from ]'s belief that heavier objects have a higher gravitational acceleration.<ref>] (1638), '']'', Salviati speaks: "If this were what Aristotle meant you would burden him with another error which would amount to a falsehood; because, since there is no such sheer height available on earth, it is clear that Aristotle could not have made the experiment; yet he wishes to give us the impression of his having performed it when he speaks of such an effect as one which we see."</ref> Galileo postulated ] as the reason that objects with less mass may fall slower in an atmosphere. Galileo's work set the stage for the formulation of Newton's theory of gravity.


Although he did not understand gravity as a force, the ancient Greek philosopher ] discovered the ] of a triangle.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Reviel Neitz |author2=William Noel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZC1MOaAkKnsC&pg=PT125 |title=The Archimedes Codex: Revealing The Secrets of the World's Greatest Palimpsest |date=13 October 2011 |publisher=Hachette UK |isbn=978-1-78022-198-4 |page=125 |access-date=10 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200107004958/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZC1MOaAkKnsC&pg=PT125 |archive-date=7 January 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> He postulated that if two equal weights did not have the same center of gravity, the center of gravity of the two weights together would be in the middle of the line that joins their centers of gravity.<ref>{{cite book |author=CJ Tuplin, Lewis Wolpert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ajGkvOo0egwC&pg=PR11 |title=Science and Mathematics in Ancient Greek Culture |publisher=Hachette UK |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-19-815248-4 |page=xi |access-date=10 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200117170945/https://books.google.com/books?id=ajGkvOo0egwC&pg=PR11 |archive-date=17 January 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> Two centuries later, the Roman engineer and architect Vitruvius contended in his ''De architectura'' that gravity is not dependent on a substance's weight but rather on its "nature".<ref>{{Cite book | last = Vitruvius | first = Marcus Pollio | author-link = Marcus Vitruvius Pollio | editor = Alfred A. Howard | title = De Architectura libri decem | trans-title = Ten Books on Architecture | place = Harvard University, Cambridge | publisher = Harvard University Press | date = 1914 | chapter = 7 | page = 215 | chapter-url = http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20239/20239-h/29239-h.htm#Page_215 | others = Herbert Langford Warren, Nelson Robinson (illus), Morris Hicky Morgan | access-date = 10 April 2019 | archive-date = 13 October 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161013193438/http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20239/20239-h/29239-h.htm#Page_215 | url-status = live }}</ref>
===Newton's theory of gravitation===
In the 6th century CE, the Byzantine Alexandrian scholar John Philoponus proposed the theory of impetus, which modifies Aristotle's theory that "continuation of motion depends on continued action of a force" by incorporating a causative force that diminishes over time.<ref>Philoponus' term for impetus is "ἑνέργεια ἀσώματος κινητική" ("incorporeal motive '']''"); see '']'' XVII, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231222224140/https://books.google.com/books?id=dVcqvVDiNVUC |date=22 December 2023 }}, ], 1888, p. 642: "λέγω δὴ ὅτι ἑνέργειά τις ἀσώματος κινητικὴ ἑνδίδοται ὑπὸ τοῦ ῥιπτοῦντος τῷ ῥιπτουμένῳ ."</ref>
{{main article|Newton's law of universal gravitation}}
], an English physicist who lived from 1642 to 1727]]
In 1687, English mathematician Sir ] published '']'', which hypothesizes the ] of universal gravitation. In his own words, "I deduced that the forces which keep the planets in their orbs must reciprocally as the squares of their distances from the centers about which they revolve: and thereby compared the force requisite to keep the Moon in her Orb with the force of gravity at the surface of the Earth; and found them answer pretty nearly."<ref>*{{cite book
| first= Subrahmanyan
| last= Chandrasekhar
| authorlink= Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
| title= Newton's Principia for the common reader
| date= 2003
| publisher= Oxford University Press
| location= Oxford}} (pp.1–2). The quotation comes from a memorandum thought to have been written about 1714. As early as 1645 ] had argued that any force exerted by the Sun on distant objects would have to follow an inverse-square law. However, he also dismissed the idea that any such force did exist. See, for example,
{{cite book | title= From Eudoxus to Einstein—A History of Mathematical Astronomy
| author= Linton, Christopher M.
| publisher= Cambridge University Press
| date= 2004
| location= Cambridge
| page= 225
| isbn= 978-0-521-82750-8
| ref= Linton-2004}}
</ref> The equation is the following:


In 628 CE, the ] mathematician and astronomer ] proposed the idea that gravity is an attractive force that draws objects to the Earth and used the term '']'' to describe it.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pickover |first1=Clifford |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SQXcpvjcJBUC&pg=PA105 |title=Archimedes to Hawking: Laws of Science and the Great Minds Behind Them |date=16 April 2008 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199792689 |language=en |access-date=29 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118060420/https://books.google.com/books?id=SQXcpvjcJBUC |archive-date=18 January 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|105}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bose |first1=Mainak Kumar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nbItAAAAMAAJ&q=gravity |title=Late classical India |publisher=A. Mukherjee & Co. |year=1988 |language=en |access-date=28 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813203602/https://books.google.com/books?id=nbItAAAAMAAJ&q=gravity |archive-date=13 August 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Sen |first=Amartya |title=The Argumentative Indian |date=2005 |publisher=Allen Lane |isbn=978-0-7139-9687-6 |page=29}}</ref>
<math>F = G \frac{m_1 m_2}{r^2}\ </math>


In the ancient ], gravity was a topic of fierce debate. The ] intellectual ] believed that the force of gravity was not unique to the Earth, and he correctly assumed that other ] should exert a gravitational attraction as well.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Starr |first1=S. Frederick |title=Lost Enlightenment: Central Asia's Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane |date=2015 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=9780691165851 |page=260 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hWyYDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA260}}</ref> In contrast, ] held the same position as Aristotle that all matter in the Universe is attracted to the center of the Earth.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of the History of Arabic Science|editor-first=Rāshid|editor-last=Rushdī|date=1996|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=9780415124119|first1=Mariam |last1=Rozhanskaya |first2=I. S. |last2=Levinova |title=Statics |volume=2 |pages=614–642}}</ref>
Where ''F'' is the force, ''m<sub>1</sub>'' and ''m<sub>2</sub>'' are the masses of the objects interacting, ''r'' is the distance between the centers of the masses and ''G'' is the ].


], where according to legend Galileo performed an experiment about the speed of falling objects]]
Newton's theory enjoyed its greatest success when it was used to predict the existence of ] based on motions of ] that could not be accounted for by the actions of the other planets. Calculations by both ] and ] predicted the general position of the planet, and Le Verrier's calculations are what led ] to the discovery of Neptune.


===Scientific revolution===
A discrepancy in ]'s orbit pointed out flaws in Newton's theory. By the end of the 19th century, it was known that its orbit showed slight perturbations that could not be accounted for entirely under Newton's theory, but all searches for another perturbing body (such as a planet orbiting the ] even closer than Mercury) had been fruitless. The issue was resolved in 1915 by ]'s new theory of ], which accounted for the small discrepancy in Mercury's orbit.
{{main|Scientific revolution}}
In the mid-16th century, various European scientists experimentally disproved the ] notion that heavier objects ] at a faster rate.<ref name="Wallace-2018">{{Cite book|last=Wallace|first=William A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8GxQDwAAQBAJ&pg=PR21|title=Domingo de Soto and the Early Galileo: Essays on Intellectual History|publisher=]|year=2018|isbn=978-1-351-15959-3|location=Abingdon, UK|pages=119, 121–22|language=en|orig-year=2004|access-date=4 August 2021|archive-date=16 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210616043300/https://books.google.com/books?id=8GxQDwAAQBAJ&pg=PR21|url-status=live}}</ref> In particular, the ] Dominican priest ] wrote in 1551 that bodies in ] uniformly accelerate.<ref name="Wallace-2018"/> De Soto may have been influenced by earlier experiments conducted by other ] priests in Italy, including those by ], Francesco Beato, ], and ] which contradicted Aristotle's teachings on the fall of bodies.<ref name="Wallace-2018"/>


The mid-16th century Italian physicist ] published papers claiming that, due to ], objects made of the same material but with different masses would fall at the same speed.<ref name="Drabkin">{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1086/349706| issn = 0021-1753| volume = 54| issue = 2| pages = 259–262| last = Drabkin| first = I. E.| title = Two Versions of G. B. Benedetti's Demonstratio Proportionum Motuum Localium| journal = Isis| year = 1963| jstor = 228543| s2cid = 144883728}}</ref> With the 1586 ], the ] physicist ] observed that two cannonballs of differing sizes and weights fell at the same rate when dropped from a tower.<ref name="Stevin">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YicuDwAAQBAJ&dq=delft+tower+experiment&pg=PA26|title=Ripples in Spacetime: Einstein, Gravitational Waves, and the Future of Astronomy|last=Schilling|first=Govert|date=31 July 2017|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=9780674971660|page=26|language=en|access-date=16 December 2021|archive-date=16 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216025328/https://books.google.com/books?id=YicuDwAAQBAJ&dq=delft+tower+experiment&pg=PA26|url-status=live}}</ref> In the late 16th century, ]'s careful measurements of balls rolling down ] allowed him to firmly establish that gravitational acceleration is the same for all objects.<ref>] (1638), '']'', First Day Salviati speaks: "If this were what Aristotle meant you would burden him with another error which would amount to a falsehood; because, since there is no such sheer height available on earth, it is clear that Aristotle could not have made the experiment; yet he wishes to give us the impression of his having performed it when he speaks of such an effect as one which we see."</ref> Galileo postulated that ] is the reason that objects with a low density and high ] fall more slowly in an atmosphere.
Although Newton's theory has been superseded by the ]'s general relativity, most modern ] gravitational calculations are still made using Newton's theory because it is simpler to work with and it gives sufficiently accurate results for most applications involving sufficiently small masses, speeds and energies.


In 1604, Galileo correctly hypothesized that the distance of a falling object is proportional to the ] of the time elapsed.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gillispie|first=Charles Coulston|url=https://archive.org/details/edgeofobjectivit00char/page/n13/mode/2up|title=The Edge of Objectivity: An Essay in the History of Scientific Ideas|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=1960|isbn=0-691-02350-6|pages=3–6|authorlink=Charles Coulston Gillispie}}</ref> This was later confirmed by Italian scientists ] ] and ] between 1640 and 1650. They also calculated the magnitude of ] by measuring the oscillations of a pendulum.<ref>J.L. Heilbron, ''Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1979), 180.</ref>
===Equivalence principle===
The ], explored by a succession of researchers including Galileo, ], and Einstein, expresses the idea that all objects fall in the same way, and that the effects of gravity are indistinguishable from certain aspects of acceleration and deceleration. The simplest way to test the weak equivalence principle is to drop two objects of different ]es or compositions in a vacuum and see whether they hit the ground at the same time. Such experiments demonstrate that all objects fall at the same rate when other forces (such as air resistance and electromagnetic effects) are negligible. More sophisticated tests use a torsion balance of a type invented by Eötvös. Satellite experiments, for example ], are planned for more accurate experiments in space.<ref>{{cite web |author=M.C.W.Sandford |publisher=] |title=STEP: Satellite Test of the Equivalence Principle |url=http://www.sstd.rl.ac.uk/fundphys/step/ |date=2008 |accessdate=2011-10-14}}</ref>


===Newton's theory of gravitation===
Formulations of the equivalence principle include:
{{main|Newton's law of universal gravitation|Newton-Hooke priority controversy for the inverse square law}}
* The weak equivalence principle: ''The trajectory of a point mass in a ] depends only on its initial position and velocity, and is independent of its composition.''<ref name=Wesson>{{cite book |title=Five-dimensional Physics |author= Paul S Wesson |page=82 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=dSv8ksxHR0oC&printsec=frontcover&dq=intitle:Five+intitle:Dimensional+intitle:Physics |isbn=981-256-661-9 |publisher=World Scientific |date=2006}}</ref>
In 1657, ] published his '']'', in which he hypothesized that the Moon must have its own gravity.{{sfnp|Gribbin|Gribbin|2017|p=57}} In 1666, he added two further principles: that all bodies move in straight lines until deflected by some force and that the attractive force is stronger for closer bodies. In a communication to the Royal Society in 1666, Hooke wrote<ref>{{cite book |last=Stewart |first=Dugald |date=1816 |author-link=Dugald Stewart |title=Elements of the Philosophy of the Human Mind |volume= 2 |url=https://archive.org/details/b28041604/page/n5/mode/2up |page= |publisher=Constable & Co; Cadell & Davies |location=Edinburgh; London }}</ref>
* The Einsteinian equivalence principle: ''The outcome of any local non-gravitational experiment in a freely falling laboratory is independent of the velocity of the laboratory and its location in spacetime.''<ref name="Lāmmerzahl">{{cite book |last=Haugen | first=Mark P. | author2=C. Lämmerzahl |title=Principles of Equivalence: Their Role in Gravitation Physics and Experiments that Test Them |date=2001 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-540-41236-6 |arxiv=gr-qc/0103067}}</ref>
{{blockquote|I will explain a system of the world very different from any yet received. It is founded on the following positions. 1. That all the heavenly bodies have not only a gravitation of their parts to their own proper centre, but that they also mutually attract each other within their spheres of action. 2. That all bodies having a simple motion, will continue to move in a straight line, unless continually deflected from it by some extraneous force, causing them to describe a circle, an ellipse, or some other curve. 3. That this attraction is so much the greater as the bodies are nearer. As to the proportion in which those forces diminish by an increase of distance, I own I have not discovered it....}}
* The strong equivalence principle requiring both of the above.
Hooke's 1674 Gresham lecture, ''An Attempt to prove the Annual Motion of the Earth'', explained that gravitation applied to "all celestial bodies"{{sfnp|Hooke|1679|loc='' An Attempt to prove the Annual Motion of the Earth'', }}

] (1642–1727)]]
In 1684, Newton sent a manuscript to ] titled ''] ('On the motion of bodies in an orbit')'', which provided a physical justification for ].<ref name="Sagan-1997">{{cite book |last1=Sagan |first1=Carl |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LhkoowKFaTsC |title=Comet |last2=Druyan |first2=Ann |publisher=Random House |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-3078-0105-0 |location=New York |pages=52–58 |author-link1=Carl Sagan |author-link2=Ann Druyan |access-date=5 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615020250/https://books.google.com/books?id=LhkoowKFaTsC |archive-date=15 June 2021 |url-status=live |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> Halley was impressed by the manuscript and urged Newton to expand on it, and a few years later Newton published a groundbreaking book called '']'' (''Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy''). In this book, Newton described gravitation as a universal force, and claimed that "the forces which keep the planets in their orbs must reciprocally as the squares of their distances from the centers about which they revolve." This statement was later condensed into the following inverse-square law:

<math display="block">F = G \frac{m_1 m_2}{r^2}, </math>where {{mvar|F}} is the force, {{math|''m''<sub>1</sub>}} and {{math|''m''<sub>2</sub>}} are the masses of the objects interacting, {{mvar|r}} is the distance between the centers of the masses and {{math|''G''}} is the ] {{physconst|G|after=.|round=3}}

Newton's ''Principia'' was well received by the scientific community, and his law of gravitation quickly spread across the European world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Reception of Newton's Principia |url=http://physics.ucsc.edu/~michael/newtonreception6.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://physics.ucsc.edu/~michael/newtonreception6.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=6 May 2022}}</ref> More than a century later, in 1821, his theory of gravitation rose to even greater prominence when it was used to predict the existence of ]. In that year, the French astronomer ] used this theory to create a table modeling the orbit of ], which was shown to differ significantly from the planet's actual trajectory. In order to explain this discrepancy, many astronomers speculated that there might be a large object beyond the orbit of Uranus which was disrupting its<!--Uranus's--> orbit. In 1846, the astronomers ] and ] independently used Newton's law to predict Neptune's location in the night sky, and the planet was discovered there within a day.<ref>{{Cite web |title=This Month in Physics History |url=http://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/202008/history.cfm |access-date=6 May 2022 |website=www.aps.org |language=en |archive-date=6 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506231353/https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/202008/history.cfm |url-status=live }}</ref>


===General relativity=== ===General relativity===
{{see also|Introduction to general relativity}} {{see also|Introduction to general relativity}}
] imposed on the curved spacetime, which would be ] in a flat spacetime.]]
{{General relativity sidebar}} {{General relativity sidebar}}
Eventually, astronomers noticed an eccentricity in the orbit of the planet ] which could not be explained by Newton's theory: the ] of the orbit was increasing by about 42.98 ] per century. The most obvious explanation for this discrepancy was an as-yet-undiscovered celestial body, such as a planet orbiting the Sun even closer than Mercury, but all efforts to find such a body turned out to be fruitless. In 1915, ] developed a theory of ] which was able to accurately model Mercury's orbit.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nobil |first=Anna M. |date=March 1986 |title=The real value of Mercury's perihelion advance |journal=Nature |volume=320 |issue=6057 |pages=39–41 |bibcode=1986Natur.320...39N |doi=10.1038/320039a0 |s2cid=4325839 | issn=0028-0836}}</ref>
In ], the effects of gravitation are ascribed to ] ] instead of a force. The starting point for general relativity is the ], which equates free fall with inertial motion and describes free-falling inertial objects as being accelerated relative to non-inertial observers on the ground.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.black-holes.org/relativity6.html |title=Gravity and Warped Spacetime |publisher=black-holes.org |accessdate=2010-10-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Lecture 20: Black Holes—The Einstein Equivalence Principle |author=Dmitri Pogosyan |url=http://www.ualberta.ca/~pogosyan/teaching/ASTRO_122/lect20/lecture20.html |publisher=University of Alberta |accessdate=2011-10-14}}</ref> In ], however, no such acceleration can occur unless at least one of the objects is being operated on by a force.

In general relativity, the effects of gravitation are ascribed to spacetime ] instead of a force. Einstein began to toy with this idea in the form of the ], a discovery which he later described as "the happiest thought of my life."<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Webb |first1=Joh |last2=Dougan |first2=Darren |date=23 November 2015 |title=Without Einstein it would have taken decades longer to understand gravity |url=https://phys.org/news/2015-11-einstein-decades-longer-gravity.html#:~:text=In%201907%2C%20Einstein%20had%20the,not%20feel%20his%20own%20weight. |access-date=21 May 2022 |archive-date=21 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521182328/https://phys.org/news/2015-11-einstein-decades-longer-gravity.html#:~:text=In%201907%2C%20Einstein%20had%20the,not%20feel%20his%20own%20weight. |url-status=live }}</ref> In this theory, free fall is considered to be equivalent to inertial motion, meaning that free-falling inertial objects are accelerated relative to non-inertial observers on the ground.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.black-holes.org/relativity6.html |title=Gravity and Warped Spacetime |publisher=black-holes.org |access-date=16 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110621005940/http://www.black-holes.org/relativity6.html |archive-date=21 June 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Lecture 20: Black Holes – The Einstein Equivalence Principle |author=Dmitri Pogosyan |url=https://www.ualberta.ca/~pogosyan/teaching/ASTRO_122/lect20/lecture20.html |publisher=University of Alberta |access-date=14 October 2011 |archive-date=8 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130908024651/http://www.ualberta.ca/~pogosyan/teaching/ASTRO_122/lect20/lecture20.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In contrast to ], Einstein believed that it was possible for this acceleration to occur without any force being applied to the object.

Einstein proposed that ] is curved by matter, and that free-falling objects are moving along locally straight paths in curved spacetime. These straight paths are called ]. As in Newton's first law of motion, Einstein believed that a force applied to an object would cause it to deviate from a geodesic. For instance, people standing on the surface of the Earth are prevented from following a geodesic path because the mechanical resistance of the Earth exerts an upward force on them. This explains why moving along the geodesics in spacetime is considered inertial.

Einstein's description of gravity was quickly accepted by the majority of physicists, as it was able to explain a wide variety of previously baffling experimental results.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Brush |first=S. G. |date=1 January 1999 |title=Why was Relativity Accepted? |url=https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999PhP.....1..184B |journal=Physics in Perspective |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=184–214 |doi=10.1007/s000160050015 |bibcode=1999PhP.....1..184B |s2cid=51825180 |issn=1422-6944 |access-date=22 May 2022 |archive-date=8 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408021700/https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999PhP.....1..184B |url-status=live }}</ref> In the coming years, a wide range of experiments provided additional support for the idea of general relativity.<ref name="Will">{{cite book
| last = Will
| first = Clifford M.
| title = Theory and Experiment in Gravitational Physics
| publisher = Cambridge Univ. Press
| date = 2018
| location =
| language =
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=gf1uDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22newton%27s+theory+of+gravity%22+adequate+for+all+ordinary+uses&pg=PA79
| archive-url=
| archive-date=
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = 9781107117440
| mr =
| zbl =
| jfm =}}</ref>{{rp|p.1-9}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lindley |first=David |date=12 July 2005 |title=The Weight of Light |url=https://physics.aps.org/story/v16/st1 |journal=Physics |language=en |volume=16 |access-date=22 May 2022 |archive-date=25 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525201415/https://physics.aps.org/story/v16/st1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Hafele-Keating Experiment |url=http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Relativ/airtim.html |access-date=22 May 2022 |website=hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu |archive-date=18 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418005731/http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Relativ/airtim.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=How the 1919 Solar Eclipse Made Einstein the World's Most Famous Scientist |url=https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/how-the-1919-solar-eclipse-made-einstein-the-worlds-most-famous-scientist |access-date=22 May 2022 |website=Discover Magazine |language=en |archive-date=22 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522141013/https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/how-the-1919-solar-eclipse-made-einstein-the-worlds-most-famous-scientist |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=At Long Last, Gravity Probe B Satellite Proves Einstein Right |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/long-last-gravity-probe-b-satellite-proves-einstein-right |access-date=22 May 2022 |website=www.science.org |language=en |archive-date=22 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522141013/https://www.science.org/content/article/long-last-gravity-probe-b-satellite-proves-einstein-right |url-status=live }}</ref> Today, Einstein's theory of relativity is used for all gravitational calculations where absolute precision is desired, although Newton's inverse-square law is accurate enough for virtually all ordinary calculations.<ref name="Will" />{{rp|p.79}}<ref name="Hassani">{{cite book
| last = Hassani
| first = Sadri
| title = From Atoms to Galaxies: A conceptual physics approach to scientific awareness
| publisher = CRC Press
| date = 2010
| location =
| pages = 131
| language =
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=oypZ_a9pqdsC&pg=PA131
| archive-url=
| archive-date=
| doi =
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| isbn = 9781439808504
| mr =
| zbl =
| jfm =}}</ref>


== Modern research ==
Einstein proposed that spacetime is curved by matter, and that free-falling objects are moving along locally straight paths in curved spacetime. These straight paths are called ]. Like Newton's first law of motion, Einstein's theory states that if a force is applied on an object, it would deviate from a geodesic. For instance, we are no longer following geodesics while standing because the mechanical resistance of the Earth exerts an upward force on us, and we are non-inertial on the ground as a result. This explains why moving along the geodesics in spacetime is considered inertial.
In ], general relativity remains the framework for the understanding of gravity.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stephani |first=Hans |title=Exact Solutions to Einstein's Field Equations |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-521-46136-8 |pages=1 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |language=en}}</ref> Physicists continue to work to find ] to the ] that form the basis of general relativity and continue to test the theory, finding excellent agreement in all cases.<ref name="ScienceNews2019">{{cite web
| title = Einstein's general relativity theory is questioned but still stands for now
| work = Science News
| publisher = Science Daily
| date = 25 July 2019
| url = https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190725150408.htm
| format =
| doi =
| accessdate = 11 August 2024}}</ref><ref name="Lea">{{cite web
| last = Lea
| first = Robert
| title = Einstein's greatest theory just passed its most rigorous test yet
| website = Scientific American
| publisher = Springer Nature America, Inc.
| date = 15 September 2022
| url = https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/einsteins-greatest-theory-just-passed-its-most-rigorous-test-yet/
| format =
| doi =
| accessdate = 11 August 2024}}</ref><ref name="Will"/>{{rp|p.9}}


=== Einstein field equations ===
Einstein discovered the ]s of general relativity, which relate the presence of matter and the curvature of spacetime and are named after him. The ] are a set of 10 ], ], ]s. The solutions of the field equations are the components of the ] of spacetime. A metric tensor describes a geometry of spacetime. The geodesic paths for a spacetime are calculated from the metric tensor.
The Einstein field equations are a ] of 10 ]s which describe how matter affects the curvature of spacetime. The system is often expressed in the form
<math display="block">G_{\mu \nu} + \Lambda g_{\mu \nu} = \kappa T_{\mu \nu},</math>
where {{mvar|G{{sub|μν}}}} is the ], {{mvar|g{{sub|μν}}}} is the ], {{mvar|T{{sub|μν}}}} is the ], {{math|Λ}} is the ], <math>G</math> is the Newtonian constant of gravitation and <math>c</math> is the ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Einstein Field Equations (General Relativity) |url=https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/physics/intranet/pendulum/generalrelativity/ |access-date=24 May 2022 |website=University of Warwick |language=en |archive-date=25 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525140036/https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/physics/intranet/pendulum/generalrelativity/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The constant <math>\kappa = \frac{8\pi G}{c^4}</math> is referred to as the Einstein gravitational constant.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How to understand Einstein's equation for general relativity |url=https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/einstein-general-theory-relativity-equation/ |access-date=24 May 2022 |website=Big Think |date=15 September 2021 |language=en-US |archive-date=26 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526023430/https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/einstein-general-theory-relativity-equation/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


], which describes spacetime around a spherical, uncharged, and nonrotating object with mass]]
====Solutions====
A major area of research is the discovery of ] to the Einstein field equations. Solving these equations amounts to calculating a precise value for the metric tensor (which defines the curvature and geometry of spacetime) under certain physical conditions. There is no formal definition for what constitutes such solutions, but most scientists agree that they should be expressable using ] or ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ishak |first=Mustafa |title=Exact Solutions to Einstein's Equations in Astrophysics |url=https://personal.utdallas.edu/~mishak/ExactSolutionsInAstrophysics_Ishak_Final.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://personal.utdallas.edu/~mishak/ExactSolutionsInAstrophysics_Ishak_Final.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=25 May 2022 |website=University of Texas at Dallas}}</ref> Some of the most notable solutions of the equations include:
Notable solutions of the Einstein field equations include:
* The ], which describes spacetime surrounding a ] non-] uncharged massive object. For compact enough objects, this solution generated a ] with a central ]. For radial distances from the center which are much greater than the ], the accelerations predicted by the Schwarzschild solution are practically identical to those predicted by Newton's theory of gravity. * The ], which describes spacetime surrounding a ] non-] uncharged massive object. For compact enough objects, this solution generated a ] with a central ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Schwarzchild Metric and Applications |url=http://physics.gmu.edu/~joe/PHYS428/Topic10.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://physics.gmu.edu/~joe/PHYS428/Topic10.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=26 May 2022 |page=36}}</ref> At points far away from the central mass, the accelerations predicted by the Schwarzschild solution are practically identical to those predicted by Newton's theory of gravity.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ehlers |first=Jurgen |title=Examples of Newtonian limits of relativistic spacetimes |url=https://pure.mpg.de/rest/items/item_153004_1/component/file_153003/content |journal=Classical Quantum Gravity |year=1997 |volume=14 |issue=1A |pages=122–123 |doi=10.1088/0264-9381/14/1A/010 |bibcode=1997CQGra..14A.119E |hdl=11858/00-001M-0000-0013-5AC5-F |s2cid=250804865 |hdl-access=free |access-date=27 May 2022 |archive-date=6 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206081653/https://pure.mpg.de/rest/items/item_153004_1/component/file_153003/content |url-status=live }}</ref>
* The ], which analyzes a non-rotating spherically symmetric object with charge and was independently discovered by several different researchers between 1916 and 1921.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Surprise: the Big Bang isn't the beginning of the universe anymore |url=https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/big-bang-beginning-universe/ |access-date=26 May 2022 |website=Big Think |date=13 October 2021 |language=en-US |archive-date=26 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526110921/https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/big-bang-beginning-universe/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In some cases, this solution can predict the existence of black holes with double ]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Norebo |first=Jonatan |date=16 March 2016 |title=The Reissner-Nordström metric |url=https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:912393/FULLTEXT01.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:912393/FULLTEXT01.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |language=en}}</ref>
* The ], in which the central object has an electrical charge. For charges with a ] length which are less than the geometrized length of the mass of the object, this solution produces black holes with double ]s.
* The ], which generalizes the Schwarzchild solution to rotating massive objects. Because of the difficulty of factoring in the effects of rotation into the Einstein field equations, this solution was not discovered until 1963.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Teukolsky |first=Saul |date=1 June 2015 |title=The Kerr metric |url=http://www.shao.ac.cn/grefa/journalClub/201811/W020181112777812239088.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.shao.ac.cn/grefa/journalClub/201811/W020181112777812239088.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |journal=Classical and Quantum Gravity |volume=32 |issue=12 |page=124006 |doi=10.1088/0264-9381/32/12/124006 |arxiv=1410.2130 |bibcode=2015CQGra..32l4006T |s2cid=119219499 |language=en}}</ref>
* The ] for rotating massive objects. This solution also produces black holes with multiple event horizons.
* The ] for charged, rotating massive objects. This solution was derived in 1964, using the same technique of complex coordinate transformation that was used for the Kerr solution.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Newman |first1=E. T. |last2=Couch |first2=E. |last3=Chinnapared |first3=K. |last4=Exton |first4=A. |last5=Prakash |first5=A. |last6=Torrence |first6=R. |date=June 1965 |title=Metric of a Rotating, Charged Mass |journal=Journal of Mathematical Physics |volume=6 |issue=6 |pages=918–919 |doi=10.1063/1.1704351 |bibcode=1965JMP.....6..918N |s2cid=122962090 |issn=0022-2488}}</ref>
* The ] for charged, rotating massive objects. This solution also produces black holes with multiple event horizons.
* The ] ], discovered in 1922 by ] and then confirmed in 1927 by ]. This solution was revolutionary for predicting the ], which was confirmed seven years later after a series of measurements by ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pettini |first=M. |title=RELATIVISTIC COSMOLOGY |url=https://people.ast.cam.ac.uk/~pettini/Intro%20Cosmology/Lecture03.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://people.ast.cam.ac.uk/~pettini/Intro%20Cosmology/Lecture03.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=27 May 2022 |language=en}}</ref> It even showed that general relativity was incompatible with a ], and Einstein later conceded that he had been wrong to design his field equations to account for a Universe that was not expanding.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=O’Raifeartaigh |first1=Cormac |last2=O’Keeffe |first2=Michael |title=Einstein's 1917 Static Model of the Universe: A Centennial Review |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1140/epjh/e2017-80002-5 |journal=The European Physical Journal H |year=2017 |volume=42 |issue=3 |language=en |page=41 |doi=10.1140/epjh/e2017-80002-5 |arxiv=1701.07261 |bibcode=2017EPJH...42..431O |s2cid=119461771 |access-date=29 May 2022 |archive-date=29 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220529140023/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1140/epjh/e2017-80002-5 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* The ] ], which predicts the expansion of the ].


Today, there remain many important situations in which the Einstein field equations have not been solved. Chief among these is the ], which concerns the geometry of spacetime around two mutually interacting massive objects, such as the Sun and the Earth, or the two stars in a ]. The situation gets even more complicated when considering the interactions of three or more massive bodies (the "''n''-body problem"), and some scientists suspect that the Einstein field equations will never be solved in this context.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Siegel |first=Ethan |title=This Is Why Scientists Will Never Exactly Solve General Relativity |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2019/12/04/this-is-why-scientists-will-never-exactly-solve-general-relativity/ |access-date=27 May 2022 |website=Forbes |language=en |archive-date=27 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527212804/https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2019/12/04/this-is-why-scientists-will-never-exactly-solve-general-relativity/ |url-status=live }}</ref> However, it is still possible to construct an approximate solution to the field equations in the ''n''-body problem by using the technique of ].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Spyrou |first=N. |date=1 May 1975 |title=The ''N''-body problem in general relativity. |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=197 |pages=725–743 |doi=10.1086/153562 |bibcode=1975ApJ...197..725S |issn=0004-637X|doi-access=free }}</ref> In general, the extreme nonlinearity of the Einstein field equations makes it difficult to solve them in all but the most specific cases.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sleator |first=Daniel |date=6 June 1996 |title=Hermeneutics of Classical General Relativity |url=https://physics.nyu.edu/sokal/transgress_v2/node2.html |access-date=23 May 2022}}</ref>
====Tests====
The ] included the following:<ref name=Pauli1958>{{cite book|last=Pauli|first=Wolfgang Ernst|title=Theory of Relativity|date=1958|isbn=978-0-486-64152-2|publisher=Courier Dover Publications|chapter=Part IV. General Theory of Relativity}}</ref>
* General relativity accounts for the anomalous ].<ref>] (1924), ''Einstein's Theory of Relativity'' (The 1962 Dover edition, page 348 lists a table documenting the observed and calculated values for the precession of the perihelion of Mercury, Venus, and Earth.)</ref>
* The prediction that time runs slower at lower potentials (]) has been confirmed by the ] (1959), the ], and the ].
* The prediction of the deflection of light was first confirmed by ] from his observations during the ].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Dyson|first1=F.W.|authorlink1=Frank Watson Dyson|last2= Eddington|first2=A.S.|authorlink2=Arthur Eddington|last3=Davidson|first3=C.R. |date=1920 |title=A Determination of the Deflection of Light by the Sun's Gravitational Field, from Observations Made at the Total Eclipse of May 29, 1919|journal= ]|volume=220|issue=571–581|pages= 291–333|bibcode=1920RSPTA.220..291D|doi=10.1098/rsta.1920.0009}}. Quote, p. 332: "Thus the results of the expeditions to Sobral and Principe can leave little doubt that a deflection of light takes place in the neighbourhood of the sun and that it is of the amount demanded by Einstein's generalised theory of relativity, as attributable to the sun's gravitational field."</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Steven|last=Weinberg|authorlink=Steven Weinberg|title=Gravitation and cosmology|publisher=John Wiley &amp; Sons|date=1972}}. Quote, p. 192: "About a dozen stars in all were studied, and yielded values 1.98 ± 0.11" and 1.61 ± 0.31", in substantial agreement with Einstein's prediction θ<sub>☉</sub> = 1.75"."</ref> Eddington measured starlight deflections twice those predicted by Newtonian corpuscular theory, in accordance with the predictions of general relativity. However, his interpretation of the results was later disputed.<ref>{{cite journal| last1=Earman |first1=John |last2=Glymour |first2=Clark |title=Relativity and Eclipses: The British eclipse expeditions of 1919 and their predecessors |date=1980 |journal=Historical Studies in the Physical Sciences |volume=11 |pages=49–85| doi=10.2307/27757471}}</ref> More recent tests using radio interferometric measurements of ]s passing behind the ] have more accurately and consistently confirmed the deflection of light to the degree predicted by general relativity.<ref>{{cite book|first=Steven|last=Weinberg|authorlink=Steven Weinberg|title=Gravitation and cosmology|publisher=John Wiley &amp; Sons|date=1972|page=194}}</ref> See also ].
* The ] passing close to a massive object was first identified by ] in 1964 in interplanetary spacecraft signals.
* ] has been indirectly confirmed through studies of binary ]s. On 11 February 2016, the ] and ] collaborations announced the first observation of a gravitational wave.
* ] in 1922 found that Einstein equations have non-stationary solutions (even in the presence of the ]). In 1927 ] showed that static solutions of the Einstein equations, which are possible in the presence of the cosmological constant, are unstable, and therefore the static Universe envisioned by Einstein could not exist. Later, in 1931, Einstein himself agreed with the results of Friedmann and Lemaître. Thus general relativity predicted that the Universe had to be non-static—it had to either expand or contract. The expansion of the Universe discovered by ] in 1929 confirmed this prediction.<ref name=Pauli1>See W.Pauli, 1958, pp.219–220</ref>
*The theory's prediction of ] was consistent with the recent ] results.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/may/HQ_11-134_Gravity_Probe_B.html |title=NASA's Gravity Probe B Confirms Two Einstein Space-Time Theories |publisher=Nasa.gov |accessdate=2013-07-23}}</ref>
*General relativity predicts that light should lose its energy when traveling away from massive bodies through ]. This was verified on earth and in the solar system around 1960.


===Gravity and quantum mechanics=== ===Gravity and quantum mechanics===
{{main article|Graviton|Quantum gravity}} {{Main|Graviton|Quantum gravity}}
In the decades after the discovery of general relativity, it was realized that general relativity is incompatible with ].<ref name="Randall, Lisa 2005">{{cite book | author=Randall, Lisa | title=Warped Passages: Unraveling the Universe's Hidden Dimensions | publisher=Ecco | date=2005 | isbn=0-06-053108-8}}</ref> It is possible to describe gravity in the framework of ] like the other ], such that the attractive force of gravity arises due to exchange of ] gravitons, in the same way as the electromagnetic force arises from exchange of virtual ]s.<ref>{{cite book |last= Feynman |first= R. P. |author2=Morinigo, F. B. |author3=Wagner, W. G. |author4=Hatfield, B. |title= Feynman lectures on gravitation |publisher= Addison-Wesley |date= 1995 |isbn=0-201-62734-5 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | author=Zee, A. |title=Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell | publisher = Princeton University Press | date=2003 | isbn=0-691-01019-6}}</ref> This reproduces general relativity in the ]. However, this approach fails at short distances of the order of the ],<ref name="Randall, Lisa 2005"/> where a more complete theory of ] (or a new approach to quantum mechanics) is required.


Despite its success in predicting the effects of gravity at large scales, general relativity is ultimately incompatible with ]. This is because general relativity describes gravity as a smooth, continuous distortion of spacetime, while quantum mechanics holds that all forces arise from the exchange of discrete particles known as ]. This contradiction is especially vexing to physicists because the other three fundamental forces (strong force, weak force and electromagnetism) were reconciled with a quantum framework decades ago.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gravity Probe B – Special & General Relativity Questions and Answers |url=https://einstein.stanford.edu/content/relativity/a11758.html#:~:text=Quantum%20mechanics%20is%20incompatible%20with,exchange%20of%20well-defined%20quanta. |access-date=1 August 2022 |website=einstein.stanford.edu |archive-date=6 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606161408/https://einstein.stanford.edu/content/relativity/a11758.html#:~:text=Quantum%20mechanics%20is%20incompatible%20with,exchange%20of%20well-defined%20quanta. |url-status=live }}</ref> As a result, modern researchers have begun to search for a theory that could unite both gravity and quantum mechanics under a more general framework.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Huggett |first1=Nick |title=Beyond Spacetime: The Foundations of Quantum Gravity |last2=Matsubara |first2=Keizo |last3=Wüthrich |first3=Christian |publisher=] |year=2020 |isbn=9781108655705 |pages=6 |language=en}}</ref>
==Specifics==


One path is to describe gravity in the framework of ], which has been successful to accurately describe the other ]s. The electromagnetic force arises from an exchange of virtual ]s, where the QFT description of gravity is that there is an exchange of ] ]s.<ref>{{cite book |last= Feynman |first= R.P. |author2=Morinigo, F.B. |author3=Wagner, W.G. |author4=Hatfield, B. |title= Feynman lectures on gravitation |url= https://archive.org/details/feynmanlectureso0000feyn_g4q1 |url-access= registration |publisher= Addison-Wesley |date= 1995 |isbn=978-0-201-62734-3 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | author=Zee, A. |title=Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell | publisher = Princeton University Press | date=2003 | isbn=978-0-691-01019-9}}</ref> This description reproduces general relativity in the ]. However, this approach fails at short distances of the order of the ],<ref name="Randall, Lisa 2005">{{cite book | author=Randall, Lisa | title=Warped Passages: Unraveling the Universe's Hidden Dimensions | publisher=Ecco | date=2005 | isbn=978-0-06-053108-9 | url=https://archive.org/details/warpedpassagesun00rand_1 }}</ref> where a more complete theory of ] (or a new approach to quantum mechanics) is required.
===Earth's gravity===
]
{{main article|Earth's gravity}}
Every planetary body (including the Earth) is surrounded by its own gravitational field, which can be conceptualized with Newtonian physics as exerting an attractive force on all objects. Assuming a spherically symmetrical planet, the strength of this field at any given point above the surface is proportional to the planetary body's mass and inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the center of the body.
]
The strength of the gravitational field is numerically equal to the acceleration of objects under its influence.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}} The rate of acceleration of falling objects near the Earth's surface varies very slightly depending on latitude, surface features such as mountains and ridges, and perhaps unusually high or low sub-surface densities.<ref>{{Cite APOD|date = 15 December 2014|title = The Potsdam Gravity Potato|access-date = }}</ref> For purposes of weights and measures, a ] value is defined by the ], under the ] (SI).


=== Tests of general relativity ===
That value, denoted ''g'', is ''g'' = 9.80665&nbsp;m/s<sup>2</sup> (32.1740&nbsp;ft/s<sup>2</sup>).<ref>{{cite journal
{{main | Tests of general relativity}}
|author=Bureau International des Poids et Mesures
] provided one of the first opportunities to test the predictions of general relativity.]]
|date=2006
|url=http://www.bipm.org/utils/common/pdf/si_brochure_8_en.pdf
|title=The International System of Units (SI)
|page=131
|edition=8th
|accessdate=2009-11-25
|quote=Unit names are normally printed in Roman (upright) type ... Symbols for quantities are generally single letters set in an italic font, although they may be qualified by further information in subscripts or superscripts or in brackets.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/checklist.html
|quote=Variables and quantity symbols are in italic type. Unit symbols are in Roman type.
|title=SI Unit rules and style conventions
|date=September 2004
|publisher=National Institute For Standards and Technology (USA)
|accessdate=2009-11-25}}</ref>


Testing the predictions of general relativity has historically been difficult, because they are almost identical to the predictions of Newtonian gravity for small energies and masses.<ref name="NASA-2022">{{Cite web |title=Testing General Relativity |url=https://asd.gsfc.nasa.gov/blueshift/index.php/2015/11/27/testing-general-relativity/ |access-date=29 May 2022 |website=NASA Blueshift |language=en-US |archive-date=16 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516115115/https://asd.gsfc.nasa.gov/blueshift/index.php/2015/11/27/testing-general-relativity/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Still, since its development, an ongoing series of experimental results have provided support for the theory:<ref name="NASA-2022"/> In 1919, the British astrophysicist ] was able to confirm the predicted ]ing of light during ].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dyson |first1=F.W. |author-link1=Frank Watson Dyson |last2=Eddington |first2=A.S. |author-link2=Arthur Eddington |last3=Davidson |first3=C.R. |date=1920 |title=A Determination of the Deflection of Light by the Sun's Gravitational Field, from Observations Made at the Total Eclipse of May 29, 1919 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1432106 |url-status=live |journal=] |volume=220 |issue=571–581 |pages=291–333 |bibcode=1920RSPTA.220..291D |doi=10.1098/rsta.1920.0009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200515065314/https://zenodo.org/record/1432106 |archive-date=15 May 2020 |access-date=1 July 2019 |doi-access=free}}. Quote, p. 332: "Thus the results of the expeditions to Sobral and Principe can leave little doubt that a deflection of light takes place in the neighbourhood of the sun and that it is of the amount demanded by Einstein's generalised theory of relativity, as attributable to the sun's gravitational field."</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Weinberg |first=Steven |url=https://archive.org/details/gravitationcosmo00stev_0 |title=Gravitation and cosmology |date=1972 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=9780471925675 |author-link=Steven Weinberg |url-access=registration}}. Quote, p. 192: "About a dozen stars in all were studied, and yielded values 1.98 ± 0.11" and 1.61 ± 0.31", in substantial agreement with Einstein's prediction θ<sub>☉</sub> = 1.75"."</ref> Eddington measured starlight deflections twice those predicted by Newtonian corpuscular theory, in accordance with the predictions of general relativity. Although Eddington's analysis was later disputed, this experiment made Einstein famous almost overnight and caused general relativity to become widely accepted in the scientific community.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gilmore |first1=Gerard |last2=Tausch-Pebody |first2=Gudrun |date=20 March 2022 |title=The 1919 eclipse results that verified general relativity and their later detractors: a story re-told |journal=Notes and Records: The Royal Society Journal of the History of Science |volume=76 |issue=1 |pages=155–180 |doi=10.1098/rsnr.2020.0040|s2cid=225075861 |doi-access=free |arxiv=2010.13744 }}</ref>
The standard value of 9.80665&nbsp;m/s<sup>2</sup> is the one originally adopted by the International Committee on Weights and Measures in 1901 for 45° latitude, even though it has been shown to be too high by about five parts in ten thousand.<ref name=List>List, R. J. editor, 1968, Acceleration of Gravity, ''Smithsonian Meteorological Tables'', Sixth Ed. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., p. 68.</ref> This value has persisted in meteorology and in some standard atmospheres as the value for 45° latitude even though it applies more precisely to latitude of 45°32'33".<ref name=USSA1976>, 1976, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1976. (Linked file is very large.)</ref>


In 1959, American physicists ] and ] performed ] in which they used ]s to confirm the prediction of ]. By sending the rays down a 74-foot tower and measuring their frequency at the bottom, the scientists confirmed that light is ]ed as it moves towards a source of gravity. The observed redshift also supported the idea that time runs more slowly in the presence of a gravitational field.<ref>{{Cite web |title=General Astronomy Addendum 10: Graviational Redshift and time dilation |url=https://homepage.physics.uiowa.edu/~rlm/mathcad/addendum%2010%20gravitational%20redshift%20and%20time%20dilation.htm |access-date=29 May 2022 |website=homepage.physics.uiowa.edu |archive-date=14 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514063358/https://homepage.physics.uiowa.edu/~rlm/mathcad/addendum%2010%20gravitational%20redshift%20and%20time%20dilation.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The ] passing close to a massive object was first identified by ] in 1964 in interplanetary spacecraft signals.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Asada |first=Hideki |date=20 March 2008 |title=Gravitational time delay of light for various models of modified gravity |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269308001810 |journal=Physics Letters B |volume=661 |issue=2–3 |pages=78–81 |doi=10.1016/j.physletb.2008.02.006 |arxiv=0710.0477 |bibcode=2008PhLB..661...78A |s2cid=118365884 |language=en |access-date=29 May 2022 |archive-date=29 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220529140019/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269308001810 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Assuming the standardized value for g and ignoring air resistance, this means that an object falling freely near the Earth's surface increases its velocity by 9.80665&nbsp;m/s (32.1740&nbsp;ft/s or 22&nbsp;mph) for each second of its descent. Thus, an object starting from rest will attain a velocity of 9.80665&nbsp;m/s (32.1740&nbsp;ft/s) after one second, approximately 19.62&nbsp;m/s (64.4&nbsp;ft/s) after two seconds, and so on, adding 9.80665&nbsp;m/s (32.1740&nbsp;ft/s) to each resulting velocity. Also, again ignoring air resistance, any and all objects, when dropped from the same height, will hit the ground at the same time.


In 1971, scientists discovered the first-ever black hole in the galaxy ]. The black hole was detected because it was emitting bursts of ] as it consumed a smaller star, and it came to be known as ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Fate of the First Black Hole |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/fate-first-black-hole |access-date=30 May 2022 |website=www.science.org |language=en |archive-date=31 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531125138/https://www.science.org/content/article/fate-first-black-hole |url-status=live }}</ref> This discovery confirmed yet another prediction of general relativity, because Einstein's equations implied that light could not escape from a sufficiently large and compact object.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Black Holes Science Mission Directorate |url=https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20170124200640/https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/black-holes |access-date=30 May 2022 |website=webarchive.library.unt.edu |archive-date=8 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408021657/https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20170124200640/https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/black-holes |url-status=live }}</ref>
According to ], the Earth itself experiences a ] equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to that which it exerts on a falling object. This means that the Earth also accelerates towards the object until they collide. Because the mass of the Earth is huge, however, the acceleration imparted to the Earth by this opposite force is negligible in comparison to the object's. If the object doesn't bounce after it has collided with the Earth, each of them then exerts a repulsive ] on the other which effectively balances the attractive force of gravity and prevents further acceleration.

General relativity states that gravity acts on light and matter equally, meaning that a sufficiently massive object could warp light around it and create a ]. This phenomenon was first confirmed by observation in 1979 using the 2.1 meter telescope at ] in Arizona, which saw two mirror images of the same quasar whose light had been bent around the galaxy ].<ref>{{cite book |title=Physics and Astrophysics: Glimpses of the Progress |author1=Subal Kar |edition=illustrated |publisher=CRC Press |year=2022 |isbn=978-1-000-55926-2 |page=106 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IWFkEAAAQBAJ}} </ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Hubble, Hubble, Seeing Double! |url=https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/hubble-hubble-seeing-double/#.YpZyvYOZrRl |access-date=31 May 2022 |website=NASA |date=24 January 2014 |archive-date=25 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525041837/https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/hubble-hubble-seeing-double/#.YpZyvYOZrRl |url-status=live }}</ref>

], the idea that a rotating massive object should twist spacetime around it, was confirmed by ] results in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/may/HQ_11-134_Gravity_Probe_B.html |title=NASA's Gravity Probe B Confirms Two Einstein Space-Time Theories |publisher=Nasa.gov |access-date=23 July 2013 |archive-date=22 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522024606/http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/may/HQ_11-134_Gravity_Probe_B.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title="Frame-Dragging" in Local Spacetime |url=https://einstein.stanford.edu/content/education/lithos/litho-fd.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://einstein.stanford.edu/content/education/lithos/litho-fd.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |website=Stanford University}}</ref> In 2015, the ] observatory detected faint ], the existence of which had been predicted by general relativity. Scientists believe that the waves emanated from a ] that occurred 1.5 billion ] away.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Gravitational Waves Detected 100 Years After Einstein's Prediction |url=https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/news/ligo20160211 |access-date=30 May 2022 |newspaper=Ligo Lab &#124; Caltech |archive-date=27 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527101043/https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/news/ligo20160211 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Specifics==

===Earth's gravity===
]
{{main|Gravity of Earth}}
Every planetary body (including the Earth) is surrounded by its own gravitational field, which can be conceptualized with Newtonian physics as exerting an attractive force on all objects. Assuming a spherically symmetrical planet, the strength of this field at any given point above the surface is proportional to the planetary body's mass and inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the center of the body.
]
The strength of the gravitational field is numerically equal to the acceleration of objects under its influence.<ref>{{cite book |title=Companion to the History of Modern Science |first1=G.N. |last1=Cantor |first2=J.R.R. |last2=Christie |first3=M.J.S. |last3=Hodge |first4=R.C. |last4=Olby |publisher=Routledge |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-134-97751-2 |page=448 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gkJn6ciwYZsC&pg=PA448 |access-date=22 October 2017 |archive-date=17 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200117131121/https://books.google.com/books?id=gkJn6ciwYZsC&pg=PA448 |url-status=live }}</ref> The rate of acceleration of falling objects near the Earth's surface varies very slightly depending on latitude, surface features such as mountains and ridges, and perhaps unusually high or low sub-surface densities.<ref>{{Cite APOD|date = 15 December 2014|title = The Potsdam Gravity Potato|access-date = }}</ref> For purposes of weights and measures, a ] value is defined by the ], under the ] (SI).


The force of gravity on Earth is the resultant (vector sum) of two forces:<ref>{{cite book The force of gravity experienced by objects on Earth's surface is the vector sum of two forces:<ref name=HWM>{{cite book
|last1 = Hofmann-Wellenhof |first1 = B. |last1 = Hofmann-Wellenhof |first1 = B.
|last2 = Moritz |first2 = H. |last2 = Moritz |first2 = H.
Line 144: Line 176:
|isbn = 978-3-211-33544-4 |isbn = 978-3-211-33544-4
|year = 2006 |year = 2006
|postscript = . &sect; 2.1: &ldquo;The total force acting on a body at rest on the earth’s surface is the resultant of gravitational force and the centrifugal force of the earth’s rotation and is called gravity.&rdquo; |quote = § 2.1: "The total force acting on a body at rest on the earth's surface is the resultant of gravitational force and the centrifugal force of the earth's rotation and is called gravity.
}}</ref> (a) The gravitational attraction in accordance with Newton's universal law of gravitation, and (b) the centrifugal force, which results from the choice of an earthbound, rotating frame of reference. The force of gravity is the weakest at the equator because of the centrifugal force caused by the Earth's rotation and because points on the equator are furthest from the center of the Earth. The force of gravity varies with latitude and increases from about 9.780&nbsp;m/s<sup>2</sup> at the Equator to about 9.832&nbsp;m/s<sup>2</sup> at the poles. }}</ref> (a) The gravitational attraction in accordance with Newton's universal law of gravitation, and (b) the centrifugal force, which results from the choice of an earthbound, rotating frame of reference. The force of gravity is weakest at the equator because of the ] caused by the Earth's rotation and because points on the equator are furthest from the center of the Earth. The force of gravity varies with latitude and increases from about 9.780&nbsp;m/s<sup>2</sup> at the Equator to about 9.832&nbsp;m/s<sup>2</sup> at the poles.<ref name="Boynton">{{cite conference |last=Boynton |first=Richard |date=2001 |title=''Precise Measurement of Mass'' |book-title=Sawe Paper No. 3147 |publisher=S.A.W.E., Inc. |location=Arlington, Texas |url=http://www.space-electronics.com/Literature/Precise_Measurement_of_Mass.PDF |access-date=22 December 2023 |archive-date=27 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070227132140/http://www.space-electronics.com/Literature/Precise_Measurement_of_Mass.PDF |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=310 |title=Curious About Astronomy? |website= Cornell University |accessdate=22 December 2023 |archive-date=28 July 2013 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728125707/http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=310}} </ref>

===Equations for a falling body near the surface of the Earth===
{{main article|Equations for a falling body}}
Under an assumption of constant gravitational attraction, ] simplifies to ''F'' = ''mg'', where ''m'' is the ] of the body and ''g'' is a constant vector with an average magnitude of 9.81&nbsp;m/s<sup>2</sup> on Earth. This resulting force is the object's ]. The acceleration due to gravity is equal to this ''g''. An initially stationary object which is allowed to fall freely under gravity drops a distance which is proportional to the square of the elapsed time. The image on the right, spanning half a second, was captured with a stroboscopic flash at 20 flashes per second. During the first {{frac|20}} of a second the ball drops one unit of distance (here, a unit is about 12&nbsp;mm); by {{frac|2|20}} it has dropped at total of 4 units; by {{frac|3|20}}, 9 units and so on.

Under the same constant gravity assumptions, the ], ''E<sub>p</sub>'', of a body at height ''h'' is given by ''E<sub>p</sub>'' = ''mgh'' (or ''E<sub>p</sub>'' = ''Wh'', with ''W'' meaning weight). This expression is valid only over small distances ''h'' from the surface of the Earth. Similarly, the expression <math>h = \tfrac{v^2}{2g}</math> for the maximum height reached by a vertically projected body with initial velocity ''v'' is useful for small heights and small initial velocities only.

===Gravity and astronomy===
{{Nature timeline}}
].<ref>{{cite web|title=Milky Way Emerges as Sun Sets over Paranal|url=http://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1517a/|website=www.eso.org|publisher=European Southern Obseevatory|accessdate=29 April 2015}}</ref>]]
The application of Newton's law of gravity has enabled the acquisition of much of the detailed information we have about the planets in the Solar System, the mass of the Sun, and details of ]s; even the existence of ] is inferred using Newton's law of gravity. Although we have not traveled to all the planets nor to the Sun, we know their masses. These masses are obtained by applying the laws of gravity to the measured characteristics of the orbit. In space an object maintains its ] because of the force of gravity acting upon it. Planets orbit stars, stars orbit ]s, ] orbit a center of mass in clusters, and clusters orbit in ]s. The force of gravity exerted on one object by another is directly proportional to the product of those objects' masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

The earliest gravity (possibly in the form of ], ] or a ]), along with ordinary ] and ], developed during the ] (up to 10<sup>−43</sup> seconds after the ] of the ]), possibly from a primeval state (such as a ], ] or ]), in a currently unknown manner.<ref name="Planck-UOregon"/>


===Gravitational radiation=== ===Gravitational radiation===
] Hanford Observatory located in Washington, United States, where gravitational waves were first observed in September 2015]]
{{main article|Gravitational wave}}
{{Main|Gravitational wave}}
According to general relativity, gravitational radiation is generated in situations where the curvature of ] is oscillating, such as is the case with co-orbiting objects. The gravitational radiation emitted by the ] is far too small to measure. However, gravitational radiation has been indirectly observed as an energy loss over time in binary pulsar systems such as ]. It is believed that ] mergers and ] formation may create detectable amounts of gravitational radiation. Gravitational radiation observatories such as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (]) have been created to study the problem. In February 2016, the Advanced LIGO team announced that they had detected gravitational waves from a black hole collision. On September 14, 2015 LIGO registered gravitational waves for the first time, as a result of the collision of two black holes 1.3 billion light-years from Earth.<ref name='Clark 2016'>{{Cite web|title = Gravitational waves: scientists announce 'we did it!' – live|url = https://www.theguardian.com/science/across-the-universe/live/2016/feb/11/gravitational-wave-announcement-latest-physics-einstein-ligo-black-holes-live|website = the Guardian|date=2016-02-11|access-date = 2016-02-11|first = Stuart|last = Clark}}</ref><ref name="Discovery 2016">{{cite journal |title=Einstein's gravitational waves found at last |journal=Nature News|url=http://www.nature.com/news/einstein-s-gravitational-waves-found-at-last-1.19361 |date=February 11, 2016 |last=Castelvecchi |first=Davide |last2=Witze |first2=Witze |doi=10.1038/nature.2016.19361 |accessdate=2016-02-11 }}</ref> This observation confirms the theoretical predictions of Einstein and others that such waves exist. The event confirms that ]s exist. It also opens the way for practical observation and understanding of the nature of gravity and events in the Universe including the Big Bang and what happened after it.<ref name="WorldBreakingNews">{{cite news|title=Scientists announce finding Gravitational Waves confirming Einstein's theory|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5Ycv2yYNG8#t=12|publisher=WorldBreakingNews}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=WHAT ARE GRAVITATIONAL WAVES AND WHY DO THEY MATTER?|url=http://www.popsci.com/whats-so-important-about-gravitational-waves|publisher=popsci.com|accessdate=12 February 2016}}</ref>
General relativity predicts that energy can be transported out of a system through gravitational radiation. The first indirect evidence for gravitational radiation was through measurements of the ] in 1973. This system consists of a pulsar and neutron star in orbit around one another. Its orbital period has decreased since its initial discovery due to a loss of energy, which is consistent for the amount of energy loss due to gravitational radiation. This research was awarded the ] in 1993.<ref name="npp1993">{{cite web |title=The Nobel Prize in Physics 1993 |publisher=] |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1993/press-release/ |date=13 October 1993 |quote=for the discovery of a new type of pulsar, a discovery that has opened up new possibilities for the study of gravitation |access-date=22 December 2023 |archive-date=10 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810182047/https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1993/press.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The first direct evidence for gravitational radiation was measured on 14 September 2015 by the ] detectors. The gravitational waves emitted during the collision of two black holes 1.3 billion light years from Earth were measured.<ref name='Clark 2016'>{{Cite web|title = Gravitational waves: scientists announce 'we did it!'{{snd}}live|url = https://www.theguardian.com/science/across-the-universe/live/2016/feb/11/gravitational-wave-announcement-latest-physics-einstein-ligo-black-holes-live|website = the Guardian|date = 11 February 2016|access-date = 11 February 2016|first = Stuart|last = Clark|archive-date = 22 June 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180622055957/https://www.theguardian.com/science/across-the-universe/live/2016/feb/11/gravitational-wave-announcement-latest-physics-einstein-ligo-black-holes-live|url-status = live}}</ref><ref name="Discovery 2016">{{cite journal |title=Einstein's gravitational waves found at last |journal=Nature News |url=http://www.nature.com/news/einstein-s-gravitational-waves-found-at-last-1.19361 |date=11 February 2016 |last1=Castelvecchi |first1=Davide |last2=Witze |first2=Witze |doi=10.1038/nature.2016.19361 |s2cid=182916902 |access-date=11 February 2016 |archive-date=12 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160212082216/http://www.nature.com/news/einstein-s-gravitational-waves-found-at-last-1.19361 |url-status=live }}</ref> This observation confirms the theoretical predictions of Einstein and others that such waves exist. It also opens the way for practical observation and understanding of the nature of gravity and events in the Universe including the Big Bang.<ref>{{cite web|title=WHAT ARE GRAVITATIONAL WAVES AND WHY DO THEY MATTER?|date=13 January 2016 |url=http://www.popsci.com/whats-so-important-about-gravitational-waves|publisher=popsci.com|access-date=12 February 2016|archive-date=3 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203130600/http://www.popsci.com/whats-so-important-about-gravitational-waves|url-status=live}}</ref> ] and ] formation also create detectable amounts of gravitational radiation.<ref name="PhysRev2017">{{cite journal |last1=Abbott |first1=B. P. |display-authors=etal. |collaboration=] & ] |title=GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral |journal=] |date=October 2017 |volume=119 |issue=16 |pages=161101 |doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.161101 |pmid=29099225 |doi-access=free |arxiv=1710.05832 |url=http://www.ligo.org/detections/GW170817/paper/GW170817-PRLpublished.pdf |bibcode=2017PhRvL.119p1101A |access-date=28 September 2019 |archive-date=8 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808012441/https://www.ligo.org/detections/GW170817/paper/GW170817-PRLpublished.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> This research was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nobel prize in physics awarded for discovery of gravitational waves|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/oct/03/nobel-prize-physics-discovery-gravitational-waves-ligo|website=the Guardian|date=3 October 2017|access-date=3 October 2017|last1=Devlin|first1=Hanna|archive-date=3 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171003102211/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/oct/03/nobel-prize-physics-discovery-gravitational-waves-ligo|url-status=live}}</ref>


===Speed of gravity=== ===Speed of gravity===
{{main article|Speed of gravity}} {{Main|Speed of gravity}}
In December 2012, a research team in China announced that it had produced measurements of the phase lag of ]s during full and new moons which seem to prove that the speed of gravity is equal to the speed of light.<ref>, astrowatch.com, 12/28/12.</ref> This means that if the Sun suddenly disappeared, the Earth would keep orbiting it normally for 8 minutes, which is the time light takes to travel that distance. The team's findings were released in the ] in February 2013.<ref>{{cite journal|last=TANG|first=Ke Yun|author2=HUA ChangCai |author3=WEN Wu |author4=CHI ShunLiang |author5=YOU QingYu |author6=YU Dan |title=Observational evidences for the speed of the gravity based on the Earth tide|journal=Chinese Science Bulletin|date=February 2013|volume=58|issue=4-5|pages=474–477|doi=10.1007/s11434-012-5603-3|url=http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs11434-012-5603-3.pdf|accessdate=12 June 2013}}</ref> In December 2012, a research team in China announced that it had produced measurements of the phase lag of ]s during full and new moons which seem to prove that the speed of gravity is equal to the speed of light.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130108083729/http://www.astrowatch.net/2012/12/chinese-scientists-find-evidence-for.html |date=8 January 2013 }}, astrowatch.com, 12/28/12.</ref> This means that if the Sun suddenly disappeared, the Earth would keep orbiting the vacant point normally for 8 minutes, which is the time light takes to travel that distance. The team's findings were released in '']'' in February 2013.<ref>{{cite journal|last=TANG|first=Ke Yun|author2=HUA ChangCai |author3=WEN Wu |author4=CHI ShunLiang |author5=YOU QingYu |author6=YU Dan |title=Observational evidences for the speed of the gravity based on the Earth tide|journal=Chinese Science Bulletin|date=February 2013|volume=58|issue=4–5|pages=474–477|doi=10.1007/s11434-012-5603-3|bibcode=2013ChSBu..58..474T|doi-access=free}}</ref>

In October 2017, the ] and Virgo detectors received gravitational wave signals within 2 seconds of gamma ray satellites and optical telescopes seeing signals from the same direction. This confirmed that the speed of gravitational waves was the same as the speed of light.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/page/press-release-gw170817|title=GW170817 Press Release|website=LIGO Lab – Caltech|access-date=24 October 2017|archive-date=17 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017010137/https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/page/press-release-gw170817|url-status=live}}</ref>


==Anomalies and discrepancies== ==Anomalies and discrepancies==
{{distinguish|Gravity anomaly}}

There are some observations that are not adequately accounted for, which may point to the need for better theories of gravity or perhaps be explained in other ways. There are some observations that are not adequately accounted for, which may point to the need for better theories of gravity or perhaps be explained in other ways.
].]] ].]]
* '''Extra-fast stars''': Stars in galaxies follow a ] where stars on the outskirts are moving faster than they should according to the observed distributions of normal matter. Galaxies within ] show a similar pattern. ], which would interact through gravitation but not electromagnetically, would account for the discrepancy. Various ] have also been proposed. * '''Extra-fast stars''': Stars in galaxies follow a ] where stars on the outskirts are moving faster than they should according to the observed distributions of normal matter. Galaxies within ] show a similar pattern. ], which would interact through gravitation but not electromagnetically, would account for the discrepancy. Various ] have also been proposed.
* ''']''': The ] seems to be speeding up.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Nobel Prize in Physics 2011 : Adam G. Riess Facts |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2011/riess/facts/ |access-date=19 March 2024 |website=NobelPrize.org |language=en-US |archive-date=28 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528014511/https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2011/riess/facts/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ] has been proposed to explain this.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is Dark Energy? Inside our accelerating, expanding Universe |url=https://science.nasa.gov/universe/the-universe-is-expanding-faster-these-days-and-dark-energy-is-responsible-so-what-is-dark-energy/ |access-date=19 March 2024 |website=science.nasa.gov |language=en |archive-date=19 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319153930/https://science.nasa.gov/universe/the-universe-is-expanding-faster-these-days-and-dark-energy-is-responsible-so-what-is-dark-energy/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* ''']''': Various spacecraft have experienced greater acceleration than expected during ] maneuvers.
* ''']''': Various spacecraft have experienced greater acceleration than expected during ] maneuvers.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Anderson |first1=John D. |last2=Campbell |first2=James K. |last3=Ekelund |first3=John E. |last4=Ellis |first4=Jordan |last5=Jordan |first5=James F. |date=3 March 2008 |title=Anomalous Orbital-Energy Changes Observed during Spacecraft Flybys of Earth |url=https://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.091102 |journal=Physical Review Letters |language=en |volume=100 |issue=9 |page=091102 |doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.091102 |pmid=18352689 |bibcode=2008PhRvL.100i1102A |issn=0031-9007}}</ref> The ] has been shown to be explained by thermal recoil due to the distant sun radiation on one side of the space craft.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Turyshev |first1=Slava G. |last2=Toth |first2=Viktor T. |last3=Kinsella |first3=Gary |last4=Lee |first4=Siu-Chun |last5=Lok |first5=Shing M. |last6=Ellis |first6=Jordan |date=12 June 2012 |title=Support for the Thermal Origin of the Pioneer Anomaly |url=https://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.241101 |journal=Physical Review Letters |volume=108 |issue=24 |pages=241101 |doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.241101|pmid=23004253 |arxiv=1204.2507 |bibcode=2012PhRvL.108x1101T }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Iorio |first=Lorenzo |date=May 2015 |title=Gravitational anomalies in the solar system? |url=https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S0218271815300153 |journal=International Journal of Modern Physics D |language=en |volume=24 |issue=6 |pages=1530015–1530343 |doi=10.1142/S0218271815300153 |issn=0218-2718|arxiv=1412.7673 |bibcode=2015IJMPD..2430015I }}</ref>
* '''Accelerating expansion''': The ] seems to be speeding up. ] has been proposed to explain this. A recent alternative explanation is that the geometry of space is not homogeneous (due to clusters of galaxies) and that when the data are reinterpreted to take this into account, the expansion is not speeding up after all,<ref>, ''New Scientist'', issue 2646, 7 March 2008.</ref> however this conclusion is disputed.<ref>, ''New Scientist'', issue 2678, 18 October 2008.</ref>
* '''Anomalous increase of the ]''': Recent measurements indicate that ] faster than if this were solely through the Sun losing mass by radiating energy.
* '''Extra energetic photons''': Photons travelling through galaxy clusters should gain energy and then lose it again on the way out. The accelerating expansion of the Universe should stop the photons returning all the energy, but even taking this into account photons from the ] gain twice as much energy as expected. This may indicate that gravity falls off ''faster'' than inverse-squared at certain distance scales.<ref name=newsci2699>{{cite web|last=Chown|first=Marcus|title=Gravity may venture where matter fears to tread|url=http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126990.400-gravity-may-venture-where-matter-fears-to-tread.html|work=New Scientist|accessdate=4 August 2013|date=16 March 2009|issue=2699}}</ref>
* '''Extra massive hydrogen clouds''': The spectral lines of the ] suggest that hydrogen clouds are more clumped together at certain scales than expected and, like ], may indicate that gravity falls off ''slower'' than inverse-squared at certain distance scales.<ref name=newsci2699/>
* '''Power''': Proposed ] could explain why the gravity force is so weak.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://home.web.cern.ch/about/physics/extra-dimensions-gravitons-and-tiny-black-holes|title=Extra dimensions, gravitons, and tiny black holes|date=20 January 2012|author=CERN}}</ref>


==Alternative theories== ==Alternative theories==
{{main article|Alternatives to general relativity}} {{Main|Alternatives to general relativity}}


===Historical alternative theories=== ===Historical alternative theories===
* ] * ]
* ] (1784) also called LeSage gravity, proposed by ], based on a fluid-based explanation where a light gas fills the entire Universe. * ] (1784) also called LeSage gravity but originally proposed by Fatio and further elaborated by ], based on a fluid-based explanation where a light gas fills the entire Universe.
* ], ''Ann. Chem. Phys.'' 13, 145, (1908) pp.&nbsp;267–271, Weber-Gauss electrodynamics applied to gravitation. Classical advancement of perihelia. * ], ''Ann. Chem. Phys.'' 13, 145, (1908) pp.&nbsp;267–271, Weber–Gauss electrodynamics applied to gravitation. Classical advancement of perihelia.
* ] (1912, 1913), an early competitor of general relativity. * ] (1912, 1913), an early competitor of general relativity.
* ] (1921) * ] (1921)
* ] (1922), another early competitor of general relativity. * ] (1922), another early competitor of general relativity.


===Modern alternative theories=== ===Modern alternative theories===
* ] of gravity (1961) <ref name=2014Schpj...931358B>{{cite journal|author=Brans, C.H. |date=Mar 2014 |title= Jordan-Brans-Dicke Theory|journal=Scholarpedia |volume=9 |pages=31358 |doi= 10.4249/scholarpedia.31358|bibcode= 2014Schpj...931358B}}</ref> * ] of gravity (1961)<ref name=2014Schpj...931358B>{{cite journal|author=Brans, C.H. |date=Mar 2014 |title= Jordan–Brans–Dicke Theory|journal=Scholarpedia |volume=9 |issue=4 |page=31358 |doi= 10.4249/scholarpedia.31358|bibcode= 2014SchpJ...931358B|arxiv=gr-qc/0207039|doi-access=free }}</ref>
* ] (1967), a proposal by ] according to which ] might arise from ] of matter * ] (1967), a proposal by ] according to which ] might arise from ] of matter
*] (late 1960s)
* ] (1970) * ] (1970)
* ] (1974) <ref name=1974IJTP...10..363H>{{cite journal|author=Horndeski, G.W. |date=Sep 1974 |title= Second-Order Scalar-Tensor Field Equations in a Four-Dimensional Space |journal=International Journal of Theoretical Physics |volume=88 |issue= 10 |pages=363–384 |doi= 10.1007/BF01807638|bibcode= 1974IJTP...10..363H}}</ref> * ] (1974)<ref name=1974IJTP...10..363H>{{cite journal|author=Horndeski, G.W. |date=Sep 1974 |title= Second-Order Scalar–Tensor Field Equations in a Four-Dimensional Space |journal=International Journal of Theoretical Physics |volume=88 |issue= 10 |pages=363–384 |doi= 10.1007/BF01807638|bibcode= 1974IJTP...10..363H|s2cid=122346086 }}</ref>
*] (1976) * ] (1976)
* In the ] (MOND) (1981), ] proposes a modification of ] of motion for small accelerations<ref name="2014SchpJ...931410M">{{cite journal|author=Milgrom, M. |date=Jun 2014 |title= The MOND paradigm of modified dynamics|journal=Scholarpedia |volume=9 |issue=6 |page=31410 |doi= 10.4249/scholarpedia.31410|bibcode= 2014SchpJ...931410M|doi-access=free}}</ref>
*]
* The ] theory of gravity (1982) by G.A. Barber in which the Brans–Dicke theory is modified to allow mass creation
* In the ] (MOND) (1981), ] proposes a modification of ] of motion for small accelerations <ref name=2014SchpJ...931410M>{{cite journal|author=Milgrom, M. |date=Jun 2014 |title= The MOND paradigm of modified dynamics|journal=Scholarpedia |volume=9 |pages=31410 |doi= 10.4249/scholarpedia.31410|bibcode= 2014SchpJ...931410M}}</ref>
* The ] theory of gravity (1982) by G.A. Barber in which the Brans-Dicke theory is modified to allow mass creation
* ] (1988) by ], ], and ] * ] (1988) by ], ], and ]
* ] (NGT) (1994) by ] * ] (NGT) (1994) by ]
*] (TeVeS) (2004), a relativistic modification of MOND by ]
* ]<ref></ref>
*] (2004) by ] and ].
* ] (TeVeS) (2004), a relativistic modification of MOND by ]
* ], gravity arising as an emergent phenomenon from the thermodynamic concept of entropy.
* In the ] the gravity and curved space-time arise as a ] mode of non-relativistic background ].
* ] (2004) by ] and ].
* ] (2013) by ] and ]. * ] (2013) by ] and ].
*]<ref>{{Cite arXiv|title=Einstein gravity from conformal gravity|eprint=1105.5632|last1=Haugan|first1=Mark P|last2=Lämmerzahl|first2=C|class=hep-th|year=2011}}</ref>
*], gravity arising as an emergent phenomenon from the thermodynamic concept of entropy.
*In the ] the gravity and curved spacetime arise as a ] mode of non-relativistic background ].
*], a theory where gravitons and gravitational waves have a non-zero mass


==See also== ==See also==
{{cols|colwidth=30em}}
{{div col|3}}
* {{Annotated link |Anti-gravity}}
* ]
* {{Annotated link |Artificial gravity}}
* ], the idea of neutralizing or repelling gravity
* {{Annotated link |Equations for a falling body}}
* ]
* {{Annotated link |Escape velocity}}
* ]
* {{Annotated link |Atmospheric escape}}
* ]
* {{Annotated link |Gauss's law for gravity}}
* ]
* {{Annotated link |Gravitational potential}}
* ], the minimum velocity needed to escape from a ]
* {{Annotated link |Gravitational biology}}
* ], a measure of ]
* {{Annotated link |Newton's laws of motion}}
* ]
* {{Annotated link |Standard gravitational parameter}}
* ]
* {{Annotated link |Weightlessness}}
* ]
{{colend}}
* ]
{{clear}}
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ], also called microgravity
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
{{div col end}}

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin}} {{refbegin}}
* {{Cite book |title=Out of the shadow of a giant: Hooke, Halley and the birth of British science |last1=Gribbin |last2=Gribbin |first1= John |first2=Mary |isbn=978-0-00-822059-4 |location=London |oclc=966239842 |year=2017 |publisher=William Collins |author-link=John Gribbin}}
*{{cite book | last = Halliday | first = David | author2 = Robert Resnick | author3 = Kenneth S. Krane | title = Physics v. 1 | location = New York | publisher = John Wiley & Sons | date = 2001 | isbn = 0-471-32057-9 }}
* {{ citation | title = McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms | edition = 4th | location = New York | publisher = ] | year = 1989 | isbn = 0-07-045270-9 | ref = {{harvid|McGraw-Hill Dict|1989}} }}
*{{cite book | last = Serway | first = Raymond A. | author2 = Jewett, John W. | title = Physics for Scientists and Engineers | edition = 6th | publisher = Brooks/Cole | date = 2004 | isbn = 0-534-40842-7 }}
* {{cite book |last=Hooke |first=Robert |date=1679 |title=Lectiones Cutlerianae, or A collection of lectures, physical, mechanical, geographical & astronomical : made before the Royal Society on several occasions at Gresham Colledge : to which are added divers miscellaneous discourses |url=https://archive.org/details/LectionesCutler00Hook/page/n7/mode/2up}}
*{{cite book | last = Tipler | first = Paul | title = Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Mechanics, Oscillations and Waves, Thermodynamics | edition = 5th | publisher = W. H. Freeman | date = 2004 | isbn = 0-7167-0809-4 }}
{{refend}} {{refend}}
<!--Unused ref: Proposition 75, Theorem 35: p.&nbsp;956 - I.Bernard Cohen and Anne Whitman, translators: Isaac Newton, ''The Principia'': Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. Preceded by ''A Guide to Newton's Principia'', by I. Bernard Cohen. University of California Press 1999 ISBN 0-520-08816-6 ISBN 0-520-08817-4 -->


==Further reading== ==Further reading==
* {{cite book |first=Isaac |last=Newton |translator=I. Bernard Cohen |title=The Principia : mathematical principles of natural philosophy |contribution=A Guide to Newton's Principia |contributor=I. Bernard Cohen |publisher=University of California Press |date=1999 |orig-date=1687 |isbn=9780520088160 |oclc=313895715}}
* {{cite book |author=Thorne, Kip S. |author-link=Kip Thorne |author2=Misner, Charles W. |author3=Wheeler, John Archibald |title=Gravitation |publisher=W.H. Freeman |date=1973 |isbn=0-7167-0344-0}}
* {{cite book | last = Halliday | first = David | author2 = Robert Resnick | author3 = Kenneth S. Krane | title = Physics v. 1 | location = New York | publisher = John Wiley & Sons | date = 2001 | isbn = 978-0-471-32057-9 }}
* {{cite book | last = Serway | first = Raymond A. | author2 = Jewett, John W. | title = Physics for Scientists and Engineers | edition = 6th | publisher = Brooks/Cole | date = 2004 | isbn = 978-0-534-40842-8 | url = https://archive.org/details/physicssciengv2p00serw }}
* {{cite book | last = Tipler | first = Paul | title = Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Mechanics, Oscillations and Waves, Thermodynamics | edition = 5th | publisher = W.H. Freeman | date = 2004 | isbn = 978-0-7167-0809-4 }}
* {{cite book |author=Thorne, Kip S. |author-link=Kip Thorne |author2=Misner, Charles W. |author3=Wheeler, John Archibald |title=Gravitation |publisher=W.H. Freeman |date=1973 |isbn=978-0-7167-0344-0}}
* {{cite news
|title=Everything you thought you knew about gravity is wrong
|first=Richard
|last=Panek
|date=2 August 2019
|newspaper=]
|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/everything-you-thought-you-knew-about-gravity-is-wrong/2019/08/01/627f3696-a723-11e9-a3a6-ab670962db05_story.html}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{sister project links|d=y|wikt=gravity|v=Gravitation|b=Physics Study Guide/Gravity|s=1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Gravitation|c=category:Gravitation|n=no|q=Gravity|m=no|mw=no|species=no}}
{{wiktionary}}
*
{{Commons category|Gravitation}}
{{EB1911 poster|Gravitation}}
* {{springer|title=Gravitation|id=p/g045040}} * {{springer|title=Gravitation|id=p/g045040}}
* {{springer|title=Gravitation, theory of|id=p/g045050}} * {{springer|title=Gravitation, theory of|id=p/g045050}}

{{Fundamental interactions}} {{Fundamental interactions}}
{{Theories of gravitation}} {{Theories of gravitation}}
{{Portal bar|Physics|Astronomy|Stars|Spaceflight|Outer space|Solar System}}
{{Authority control}} {{Authority control}}
{{portal bar|Astronomy|Cosmology|Gravitation|Physics|Space}}


] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]

Latest revision as of 16:48, 19 December 2024

Attraction of masses and energy For other uses, see Gravity (disambiguation).

"Gravitation" and "Law of Gravity" redirect here. For other uses, see Gravitation (disambiguation) and Law of Gravity (disambiguation).

The shapes of two massive galaxies in the photo are distorted due to gravity.
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In physics, gravity (from Latin gravitas 'weight') is a fundamental interaction primarily observed as mutual attraction between all things that have mass. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 10 times weaker than the strong interaction, 10 times weaker than the electromagnetic force and 10 times weaker than the weak interaction. As a result, it has no significant influence at the level of subatomic particles. However, gravity is the most significant interaction between objects at the macroscopic scale, and it determines the motion of planets, stars, galaxies, and even light.

On Earth, gravity gives weight to physical objects, and the Moon's gravity is responsible for sublunar tides in the oceans. The corresponding antipodal tide is caused by the inertia of the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Gravity also has many important biological functions, helping to guide the growth of plants through the process of gravitropism and influencing the circulation of fluids in multicellular organisms.

The gravitational attraction between the original gaseous matter in the universe caused it to coalesce and form stars which eventually condensed into galaxies, so gravity is responsible for many of the large-scale structures in the universe. Gravity has an infinite range, although its effects become weaker as objects get farther away.

Gravity is most accurately described by the general theory of relativity, proposed by Albert Einstein in 1915, which describes gravity not as a force, but as the curvature of spacetime, caused by the uneven distribution of mass, and causing masses to move along geodesic lines. The most extreme example of this curvature of spacetime is a black hole, from which nothing—not even light—can escape once past the black hole's event horizon. However, for most applications, gravity is well approximated by Newton's law of universal gravitation, which describes gravity as a force causing any two bodies to be attracted toward each other, with magnitude proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Current models of particle physics imply that the earliest instance of gravity in the universe, possibly in the form of quantum gravity, supergravity or a gravitational singularity, along with ordinary space and time, developed during the Planck epoch (up to 10 seconds after the birth of the universe), possibly from a primeval state, such as a false vacuum, quantum vacuum or virtual particle, in a currently unknown manner. Scientists are currently working to develop a theory of gravity consistent with quantum mechanics, a quantum gravity theory, which would allow gravity to be united in a common mathematical framework (a theory of everything) with the other three fundamental interactions of physics.

Definitions

Gravitation, also known as gravitational attraction, is the mutual attraction between all masses in the universe. Gravity is the gravitational attraction at the surface of a planet or other celestial body; gravity may also include, in addition to gravitation, the centrifugal force resulting from the planet's rotation (see § Earth's gravity).

History

Main article: History of gravitational theory

Ancient world

The nature and mechanism of gravity were explored by a wide range of ancient scholars. In Greece, Aristotle believed that objects fell towards the Earth because the Earth was the center of the Universe and attracted all of the mass in the Universe towards it. He also thought that the speed of a falling object should increase with its weight, a conclusion that was later shown to be false. While Aristotle's view was widely accepted throughout Ancient Greece, there were other thinkers such as Plutarch who correctly predicted that the attraction of gravity was not unique to the Earth.

Although he did not understand gravity as a force, the ancient Greek philosopher Archimedes discovered the center of gravity of a triangle. He postulated that if two equal weights did not have the same center of gravity, the center of gravity of the two weights together would be in the middle of the line that joins their centers of gravity. Two centuries later, the Roman engineer and architect Vitruvius contended in his De architectura that gravity is not dependent on a substance's weight but rather on its "nature". In the 6th century CE, the Byzantine Alexandrian scholar John Philoponus proposed the theory of impetus, which modifies Aristotle's theory that "continuation of motion depends on continued action of a force" by incorporating a causative force that diminishes over time.

In 628 CE, the Indian mathematician and astronomer Brahmagupta proposed the idea that gravity is an attractive force that draws objects to the Earth and used the term gurutvākarṣaṇ to describe it.

In the ancient Middle East, gravity was a topic of fierce debate. The Persian intellectual Al-Biruni believed that the force of gravity was not unique to the Earth, and he correctly assumed that other heavenly bodies should exert a gravitational attraction as well. In contrast, Al-Khazini held the same position as Aristotle that all matter in the Universe is attracted to the center of the Earth.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa, where according to legend Galileo performed an experiment about the speed of falling objects

Scientific revolution

Main article: Scientific revolution

In the mid-16th century, various European scientists experimentally disproved the Aristotelian notion that heavier objects fall at a faster rate. In particular, the Spanish Dominican priest Domingo de Soto wrote in 1551 that bodies in free fall uniformly accelerate. De Soto may have been influenced by earlier experiments conducted by other Dominican priests in Italy, including those by Benedetto Varchi, Francesco Beato, Luca Ghini, and Giovan Bellaso which contradicted Aristotle's teachings on the fall of bodies.

The mid-16th century Italian physicist Giambattista Benedetti published papers claiming that, due to specific gravity, objects made of the same material but with different masses would fall at the same speed. With the 1586 Delft tower experiment, the Flemish physicist Simon Stevin observed that two cannonballs of differing sizes and weights fell at the same rate when dropped from a tower. In the late 16th century, Galileo Galilei's careful measurements of balls rolling down inclines allowed him to firmly establish that gravitational acceleration is the same for all objects. Galileo postulated that air resistance is the reason that objects with a low density and high surface area fall more slowly in an atmosphere.

In 1604, Galileo correctly hypothesized that the distance of a falling object is proportional to the square of the time elapsed. This was later confirmed by Italian scientists Jesuits Grimaldi and Riccioli between 1640 and 1650. They also calculated the magnitude of the Earth's gravity by measuring the oscillations of a pendulum.

Newton's theory of gravitation

Main articles: Newton's law of universal gravitation and Newton-Hooke priority controversy for the inverse square law

In 1657, Robert Hooke published his Micrographia, in which he hypothesized that the Moon must have its own gravity. In 1666, he added two further principles: that all bodies move in straight lines until deflected by some force and that the attractive force is stronger for closer bodies. In a communication to the Royal Society in 1666, Hooke wrote

I will explain a system of the world very different from any yet received. It is founded on the following positions. 1. That all the heavenly bodies have not only a gravitation of their parts to their own proper centre, but that they also mutually attract each other within their spheres of action. 2. That all bodies having a simple motion, will continue to move in a straight line, unless continually deflected from it by some extraneous force, causing them to describe a circle, an ellipse, or some other curve. 3. That this attraction is so much the greater as the bodies are nearer. As to the proportion in which those forces diminish by an increase of distance, I own I have not discovered it....

Hooke's 1674 Gresham lecture, An Attempt to prove the Annual Motion of the Earth, explained that gravitation applied to "all celestial bodies"

English physicist and mathematician, Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1727)

In 1684, Newton sent a manuscript to Edmond Halley titled De motu corporum in gyrum ('On the motion of bodies in an orbit'), which provided a physical justification for Kepler's laws of planetary motion. Halley was impressed by the manuscript and urged Newton to expand on it, and a few years later Newton published a groundbreaking book called Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy). In this book, Newton described gravitation as a universal force, and claimed that "the forces which keep the planets in their orbs must reciprocally as the squares of their distances from the centers about which they revolve." This statement was later condensed into the following inverse-square law:

F = G m 1 m 2 r 2 , {\displaystyle F=G{\frac {m_{1}m_{2}}{r^{2}}},} where F is the force, m1 and m2 are the masses of the objects interacting, r is the distance between the centers of the masses and G is the gravitational constant 6.674×10 m⋅kg⋅s.

Newton's Principia was well received by the scientific community, and his law of gravitation quickly spread across the European world. More than a century later, in 1821, his theory of gravitation rose to even greater prominence when it was used to predict the existence of Neptune. In that year, the French astronomer Alexis Bouvard used this theory to create a table modeling the orbit of Uranus, which was shown to differ significantly from the planet's actual trajectory. In order to explain this discrepancy, many astronomers speculated that there might be a large object beyond the orbit of Uranus which was disrupting its orbit. In 1846, the astronomers John Couch Adams and Urbain Le Verrier independently used Newton's law to predict Neptune's location in the night sky, and the planet was discovered there within a day.

General relativity

See also: Introduction to general relativity
General relativity
Spacetime curvature schematic G μ ν + Λ g μ ν = κ T μ ν {\displaystyle G_{\mu \nu }+\Lambda g_{\mu \nu }={\kappa }T_{\mu \nu }}
Fundamental concepts
Phenomena
Spacetime
  • Equations
  • Formalisms
Equations
Formalisms
Advanced theory
Solutions
Scientists

Eventually, astronomers noticed an eccentricity in the orbit of the planet Mercury which could not be explained by Newton's theory: the perihelion of the orbit was increasing by about 42.98 arcseconds per century. The most obvious explanation for this discrepancy was an as-yet-undiscovered celestial body, such as a planet orbiting the Sun even closer than Mercury, but all efforts to find such a body turned out to be fruitless. In 1915, Albert Einstein developed a theory of general relativity which was able to accurately model Mercury's orbit.

In general relativity, the effects of gravitation are ascribed to spacetime curvature instead of a force. Einstein began to toy with this idea in the form of the equivalence principle, a discovery which he later described as "the happiest thought of my life." In this theory, free fall is considered to be equivalent to inertial motion, meaning that free-falling inertial objects are accelerated relative to non-inertial observers on the ground. In contrast to Newtonian physics, Einstein believed that it was possible for this acceleration to occur without any force being applied to the object.

Einstein proposed that spacetime is curved by matter, and that free-falling objects are moving along locally straight paths in curved spacetime. These straight paths are called geodesics. As in Newton's first law of motion, Einstein believed that a force applied to an object would cause it to deviate from a geodesic. For instance, people standing on the surface of the Earth are prevented from following a geodesic path because the mechanical resistance of the Earth exerts an upward force on them. This explains why moving along the geodesics in spacetime is considered inertial.

Einstein's description of gravity was quickly accepted by the majority of physicists, as it was able to explain a wide variety of previously baffling experimental results. In the coming years, a wide range of experiments provided additional support for the idea of general relativity. Today, Einstein's theory of relativity is used for all gravitational calculations where absolute precision is desired, although Newton's inverse-square law is accurate enough for virtually all ordinary calculations.

Modern research

In modern physics, general relativity remains the framework for the understanding of gravity. Physicists continue to work to find solutions to the Einstein field equations that form the basis of general relativity and continue to test the theory, finding excellent agreement in all cases.

Einstein field equations

The Einstein field equations are a system of 10 partial differential equations which describe how matter affects the curvature of spacetime. The system is often expressed in the form G μ ν + Λ g μ ν = κ T μ ν , {\displaystyle G_{\mu \nu }+\Lambda g_{\mu \nu }=\kappa T_{\mu \nu },} where Gμν is the Einstein tensor, gμν is the metric tensor, Tμν is the stress–energy tensor, Λ is the cosmological constant, G {\displaystyle G} is the Newtonian constant of gravitation and c {\displaystyle c} is the speed of light. The constant κ = 8 π G c 4 {\displaystyle \kappa ={\frac {8\pi G}{c^{4}}}} is referred to as the Einstein gravitational constant.

An illustration of the Schwarzschild metric, which describes spacetime around a spherical, uncharged, and nonrotating object with mass

A major area of research is the discovery of exact solutions to the Einstein field equations. Solving these equations amounts to calculating a precise value for the metric tensor (which defines the curvature and geometry of spacetime) under certain physical conditions. There is no formal definition for what constitutes such solutions, but most scientists agree that they should be expressable using elementary functions or linear differential equations. Some of the most notable solutions of the equations include:

  • The Schwarzschild solution, which describes spacetime surrounding a spherically symmetric non-rotating uncharged massive object. For compact enough objects, this solution generated a black hole with a central singularity. At points far away from the central mass, the accelerations predicted by the Schwarzschild solution are practically identical to those predicted by Newton's theory of gravity.
  • The Reissner–Nordström solution, which analyzes a non-rotating spherically symmetric object with charge and was independently discovered by several different researchers between 1916 and 1921. In some cases, this solution can predict the existence of black holes with double event horizons.
  • The Kerr solution, which generalizes the Schwarzchild solution to rotating massive objects. Because of the difficulty of factoring in the effects of rotation into the Einstein field equations, this solution was not discovered until 1963.
  • The Kerr–Newman solution for charged, rotating massive objects. This solution was derived in 1964, using the same technique of complex coordinate transformation that was used for the Kerr solution.
  • The cosmological Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker solution, discovered in 1922 by Alexander Friedmann and then confirmed in 1927 by Georges Lemaître. This solution was revolutionary for predicting the expansion of the Universe, which was confirmed seven years later after a series of measurements by Edwin Hubble. It even showed that general relativity was incompatible with a static universe, and Einstein later conceded that he had been wrong to design his field equations to account for a Universe that was not expanding.

Today, there remain many important situations in which the Einstein field equations have not been solved. Chief among these is the two-body problem, which concerns the geometry of spacetime around two mutually interacting massive objects, such as the Sun and the Earth, or the two stars in a binary star system. The situation gets even more complicated when considering the interactions of three or more massive bodies (the "n-body problem"), and some scientists suspect that the Einstein field equations will never be solved in this context. However, it is still possible to construct an approximate solution to the field equations in the n-body problem by using the technique of post-Newtonian expansion. In general, the extreme nonlinearity of the Einstein field equations makes it difficult to solve them in all but the most specific cases.

Gravity and quantum mechanics

Main articles: Graviton and Quantum gravity

Despite its success in predicting the effects of gravity at large scales, general relativity is ultimately incompatible with quantum mechanics. This is because general relativity describes gravity as a smooth, continuous distortion of spacetime, while quantum mechanics holds that all forces arise from the exchange of discrete particles known as quanta. This contradiction is especially vexing to physicists because the other three fundamental forces (strong force, weak force and electromagnetism) were reconciled with a quantum framework decades ago. As a result, modern researchers have begun to search for a theory that could unite both gravity and quantum mechanics under a more general framework.

One path is to describe gravity in the framework of quantum field theory, which has been successful to accurately describe the other fundamental interactions. The electromagnetic force arises from an exchange of virtual photons, where the QFT description of gravity is that there is an exchange of virtual gravitons. This description reproduces general relativity in the classical limit. However, this approach fails at short distances of the order of the Planck length, where a more complete theory of quantum gravity (or a new approach to quantum mechanics) is required.

Tests of general relativity

Main article: Tests of general relativity
The 1919 total solar eclipse provided one of the first opportunities to test the predictions of general relativity.

Testing the predictions of general relativity has historically been difficult, because they are almost identical to the predictions of Newtonian gravity for small energies and masses. Still, since its development, an ongoing series of experimental results have provided support for the theory: In 1919, the British astrophysicist Arthur Eddington was able to confirm the predicted gravitational lensing of light during that year's solar eclipse. Eddington measured starlight deflections twice those predicted by Newtonian corpuscular theory, in accordance with the predictions of general relativity. Although Eddington's analysis was later disputed, this experiment made Einstein famous almost overnight and caused general relativity to become widely accepted in the scientific community.

In 1959, American physicists Robert Pound and Glen Rebka performed an experiment in which they used gamma rays to confirm the prediction of gravitational time dilation. By sending the rays down a 74-foot tower and measuring their frequency at the bottom, the scientists confirmed that light is redshifted as it moves towards a source of gravity. The observed redshift also supported the idea that time runs more slowly in the presence of a gravitational field. The time delay of light passing close to a massive object was first identified by Irwin I. Shapiro in 1964 in interplanetary spacecraft signals.

In 1971, scientists discovered the first-ever black hole in the galaxy Cygnus. The black hole was detected because it was emitting bursts of x-rays as it consumed a smaller star, and it came to be known as Cygnus X-1. This discovery confirmed yet another prediction of general relativity, because Einstein's equations implied that light could not escape from a sufficiently large and compact object.

General relativity states that gravity acts on light and matter equally, meaning that a sufficiently massive object could warp light around it and create a gravitational lens. This phenomenon was first confirmed by observation in 1979 using the 2.1 meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, which saw two mirror images of the same quasar whose light had been bent around the galaxy YGKOW G1.

Frame dragging, the idea that a rotating massive object should twist spacetime around it, was confirmed by Gravity Probe B results in 2011. In 2015, the LIGO observatory detected faint gravitational waves, the existence of which had been predicted by general relativity. Scientists believe that the waves emanated from a black hole merger that occurred 1.5 billion light-years away.

Specifics

Earth's gravity

An initially-stationary object that is allowed to fall freely under gravity drops a distance that is proportional to the square of the elapsed time. This image spans half a second and was captured at 20 flashes per second.
Main article: Gravity of Earth

Every planetary body (including the Earth) is surrounded by its own gravitational field, which can be conceptualized with Newtonian physics as exerting an attractive force on all objects. Assuming a spherically symmetrical planet, the strength of this field at any given point above the surface is proportional to the planetary body's mass and inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the center of the body.

If an object with comparable mass to that of the Earth were to fall towards it, then the corresponding acceleration of the Earth would be observable.

The strength of the gravitational field is numerically equal to the acceleration of objects under its influence. The rate of acceleration of falling objects near the Earth's surface varies very slightly depending on latitude, surface features such as mountains and ridges, and perhaps unusually high or low sub-surface densities. For purposes of weights and measures, a standard gravity value is defined by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, under the International System of Units (SI).

The force of gravity experienced by objects on Earth's surface is the vector sum of two forces: (a) The gravitational attraction in accordance with Newton's universal law of gravitation, and (b) the centrifugal force, which results from the choice of an earthbound, rotating frame of reference. The force of gravity is weakest at the equator because of the centrifugal force caused by the Earth's rotation and because points on the equator are furthest from the center of the Earth. The force of gravity varies with latitude and increases from about 9.780 m/s at the Equator to about 9.832 m/s at the poles.

Gravitational radiation

LIGO Hanford Observatory
The LIGO Hanford Observatory located in Washington, United States, where gravitational waves were first observed in September 2015
Main article: Gravitational wave

General relativity predicts that energy can be transported out of a system through gravitational radiation. The first indirect evidence for gravitational radiation was through measurements of the Hulse–Taylor binary in 1973. This system consists of a pulsar and neutron star in orbit around one another. Its orbital period has decreased since its initial discovery due to a loss of energy, which is consistent for the amount of energy loss due to gravitational radiation. This research was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1993.

The first direct evidence for gravitational radiation was measured on 14 September 2015 by the LIGO detectors. The gravitational waves emitted during the collision of two black holes 1.3 billion light years from Earth were measured. This observation confirms the theoretical predictions of Einstein and others that such waves exist. It also opens the way for practical observation and understanding of the nature of gravity and events in the Universe including the Big Bang. Neutron star and black hole formation also create detectable amounts of gravitational radiation. This research was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2017.

Speed of gravity

Main article: Speed of gravity

In December 2012, a research team in China announced that it had produced measurements of the phase lag of Earth tides during full and new moons which seem to prove that the speed of gravity is equal to the speed of light. This means that if the Sun suddenly disappeared, the Earth would keep orbiting the vacant point normally for 8 minutes, which is the time light takes to travel that distance. The team's findings were released in Science Bulletin in February 2013.

In October 2017, the LIGO and Virgo detectors received gravitational wave signals within 2 seconds of gamma ray satellites and optical telescopes seeing signals from the same direction. This confirmed that the speed of gravitational waves was the same as the speed of light.

Anomalies and discrepancies

Not to be confused with Gravity anomaly.

There are some observations that are not adequately accounted for, which may point to the need for better theories of gravity or perhaps be explained in other ways.

Rotation curve of a typical spiral galaxy: predicted (A) and observed (B). The discrepancy between the curves is attributed to dark matter.

Alternative theories

Main article: Alternatives to general relativity

Historical alternative theories

Modern alternative theories

See also

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