Gravitational Constant (G)

The strength of the gravitational force depends on the gravitational constant.Any mass warps the fabric of space-time around itself and more the mass, the more the warping.

Gravity – It is the force that an object feels when travelling along the warped path which tends to move the object towards the mass.
Gravitational constant – It is denoted by a ‘G’, a fundamental physical constant.

Gravitation constant was 1^st accurately determined by Henry Cavendish in 1797 and it is an essential component of both Isaac Newton’s law of universal gravitation and Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

Newton’s theory – The gravitational force between 2 objects is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

G is the proportionality constant whose value is 6.673 × 10–11 N m2 kg–2.

Einstein’s theory of general relativity – It states that space and time are relative, and all motion must be relative to a frame of reference.

It provides a more accurate description of gravitation, particularly in extreme conditions like massive celestial objects.
G describe the curvature (or the ‘warping’) of space-time in the presence of mass and energy.

Importance of G – The precise value of G is crucial to understand celestial mechanics and to determine the mass of celestial bodies.

Yet its value has been determined only with an uncertainty of about 22 parts per million.

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