Gravitation Law Explained

Newton's universal law of gravitation describes the attractive force between any two objects with mass.

The formula representing this law is:

Where:

• $F$ is the gravitational force between the objects.
• $G$ is the gravitational constant.
• $m_1$ and $m_2$ are the masses of the two objects.
• $r$ is the distance between the centers of the two objects.

This formula indicates two key relationships:

• The force ($F$) is directly proportional to the product of the masses ($m_1 m_2$). This means if the masses increase, the force increases.
• The force ($F$) is inversely proportional to the square of the distance ($r^2$). This means if the distance increases, the force decreases rapidly (by the square of the distance).

Option Analysis

• Option 1: Incorrect. The law states force decreases as distance increases.
• Option 2: Correct. This accurately reflects both direct proportionality to the product of masses and inverse square proportionality to the distance.
• Option 3: Incorrect. The law states force increases as masses increase.
• Option 4: Incorrect. The force depends on both mass and distance.

Therefore, the statement that correctly describes the universal law of gravitation is Option 2.