Can gravitational force have influence on objects at infinitely long distances?

In summary, the reach of gravitational force is considered to be infinite according to classical models. However, the concept of quantum gravity, which is not yet fully understood, suggests that gravity may be quantised. Despite this, the influence of gravitational force is expected to still have an effect at infinitely long distances, although it may take an infinitely long time for that effect to be felt.
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shivakumar
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Can gravitational force have influence at objects at infinitely long distance? Is gravitational force in the form quantum packets?
 
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Classical models say yes, the reach is infinite. We don't have a working theory of quantum gravity so we don't know what that says. We do expect gravity to be quantised, we just don't know how it works.
 
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  • #3
shivakumar said:
Can gravitational force have influence at objects at infinitely long distance? Is gravitational force in the form quantum packets?
Newton's law of gravity is ##F = \frac{GMm}{r^2}##. There is no limit on the size of ##r##.

Likewise if you look at, for example, the Schwarzschild metric in general relativity. There is no limit to the ##r## coordinate.
 
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shivakumar said:
Can gravitational force have influence at objects at infinitely long distance?
Since gravity propagates at the speed of light, an infinitely long distance will take an infinitely long time. The original cause will be gone, long before the infinitesimal effect begins to be felt at an infinite distance.
 
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1. Can the gravitational force between two objects be affected by the distance between them?

Yes, the gravitational force between two objects is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. This means that as the distance between two objects increases, the gravitational force between them decreases.

2. Is there a limit to how far the gravitational force can reach?

No, the gravitational force has an infinite range, meaning it can theoretically affect objects at infinitely long distances. However, the strength of the force decreases significantly as the distance between objects increases.

3. Can the gravitational force between two objects be canceled out at a certain distance?

Yes, the gravitational force between two objects can be canceled out at a certain distance if an equal and opposite force is applied. This is known as equilibrium and can occur when two objects are in orbit around each other.

4. Does the mass of an object affect the strength of its gravitational force?

Yes, the mass of an object directly affects the strength of its gravitational force. The greater the mass of an object, the stronger its gravitational force will be.

5. Can objects at infinitely long distances still have a significant gravitational force between them?

No, as the distance between two objects increases, the gravitational force between them decreases significantly. At infinitely long distances, the gravitational force between objects would be extremely small and negligible.

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