Gravitational Force & Acceleration: What's the Difference?

In summary, gravitational force is the force of attraction between two objects that is attractive and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. It can be calculated using the formula F=GmM/r^2. On the other hand, acceleration due to gravity measures the effect of this force on a body, following Newton's second law and can be calculated using the formula a=GM/r^2. The acceleration of a body is dependent on its mass, with smaller bodies experiencing greater acceleration than larger bodies.
  • #1
ASidd
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Would I be correct in saying that gravitational force is the force of attraction between any two objects and has the following characteristics:
Attractive and the magnitude of the force is inversely proportional to square of distance between the two object
It is given by the formula F=GmM/r^2

On the other hand acceleration due to gravity deals with the effect of the gravitational force on a body. This effect is to accelerate a body according to Newton's second law and given by the formula a=GM/r^2
 
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  • #2


ASidd said:
Would I be correct in saying that gravitational force is the force of attraction between any two objects and has the following characteristics:
Attractive and the magnitude of the force is inversely proportional to square of distance between the two object
It is given by the formula F=GmM/r^2

On the other hand acceleration due to gravity deals with the effect of the gravitational force on a body. This effect is to accelerate a body according to Newton's second law and given by the formula a=GM/r^2

That seems reasonable.
That acceleration you have calculated/given is for the body of mass m
The acceleration of the other body is of course a=Gm/r^2

IF the bodies have very different masses the smaller body, of course, has the larger acceleration.
Like when you drop an apple here on the Earth. The apple, with small mass, has quite an acceleration [9.8 ms-2 actually], while the large body [the Earth] has such a small acceleration that most people [all people?] don't even notice it.
 

What is Gravitational Force?

Gravitational force is the attractive force between two objects with mass. It is responsible for keeping objects in orbit around larger objects, such as the Earth around the Sun.

What is Acceleration?

Acceleration is the rate at which an object's velocity changes over time. It can be caused by a change in speed or direction, and is measured in units of meters per second squared (m/s^2).

How are Gravitational Force and Acceleration related?

Gravitational force and acceleration are directly related. According to Newton's Second Law of Motion, the force acting on an object is equal to its mass multiplied by its acceleration. This means that the more massive an object is, the greater the gravitational force acting on it and the greater its acceleration will be.

What is the difference between Gravitational Force and Acceleration?

The main difference between gravitational force and acceleration is that gravitational force is a force exerted between two objects with mass, while acceleration is a measure of how quickly an object's velocity changes over time. Gravitational force is also a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction, while acceleration is a scalar quantity, only having magnitude.

How is Gravitational Force and Acceleration measured?

Gravitational force is measured in units of Newtons (N), while acceleration is measured in units of meters per second squared (m/s^2). Gravitational force is typically calculated using the formula F = G(m1m2)/r^2, where G is the gravitational constant, m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects, and r is the distance between them. Acceleration can be measured using tools such as accelerometers or by calculating the change in an object's velocity over time.

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