Analog of Gauss' law in gravity

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SUMMARY

Gauss' law for gravitation states that the integral of the gravitational field ##\vec{g}## over a closed surface is equal to ##-4\pi Gm##, where ##m## is the mass enclosed and ##G## is the gravitational constant. This law is analogous to Gauss' law in electrostatics, which involves electric field ##\vec{E}## and charge ##q##, expressed as ##\oint \vec{E}\cdot d\vec{S}=\frac{q}{\epsilon_0}##. The key distinction lies in the negative sign in the gravitational law, indicating the attractive nature of gravity compared to the dual nature of electrostatic forces. Gauss' law for gravity is less recognized but can be easily understood with a brief explanation.

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  • Knowledge of the gravitational constant ##G##
  • Basic concepts of vector calculus
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Gauss law in case of sphere which has charge ##q## is ##\oint \vec{E}\cdot d\vec{S}=\frac{q}{\epsilon_0}##

Is there some anologone for case of sphere with mass ##m## such that
##\oint \vec{G}\cdot d\vec{S}=4\pi \gamma m ## and what is ##\vec{G}## in that case?
 
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Yes - it is Gauss' law for gravitation. Note that it differs from Gauss' law in electrostatics by the presence of a minus sign on the right:
[tex]\oint_{\partial V} \vec{g} \cdot d\vec{S} = -4\pi Gm[/tex]
This is because gravitation is strictly attractive, while the electrostatic force can be either attractive or repulsive. The field ## \vec{g} ## is the gravitational field, defined completely analogously to the electric field whereby the force experienced by a particle of mass ## \mu ## in the field is ## \vec{F}_{g} = \mu \vec{g} ##.
 
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauss's_law_for_gravity

Gauss's law for gravity is not nearly as well known. I recall some years ago my wife gave a talk in a physics department and referred to it.

There were plenty of physicists in the room who were not familiar with the idea, but everyone quickly grasped it with a 30 second explanation.
 

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