What is gravity?

What is gravity?

• A. The force that repels mass away from other mass
• B. The force that pulls mass toward other mass
• C. The force that governs magnetic interactions
• D. The force that causes friction

Answer: (B)

Gravity is the attractive force between masses that pulls them toward each other. It acts even when objects aren’t touching and becomes weaker as objects move farther apart. The strength depends on how much mass the objects have and how close they are, described quantitatively by F = G m1 m2 / r^2. This universal pull explains why things fall to Earth and why planets orbit the Sun. Other forces like magnetic interactions can attract or repel, and friction is a contact force that resists motion; gravity is a distinct, always-attractive force acting at a distance.

Gravity is the attractive force between masses that pulls them toward each other. It acts even when objects aren’t touching and becomes weaker as objects move farther apart. The strength depends on how much mass the objects have and how close they are, described quantitatively by F = G m1 m2 / r^2. This universal pull explains why things fall to Earth and why planets orbit the Sun. Other forces like magnetic interactions can attract or repel, and friction is a contact force that resists motion; gravity is a distinct, always-attractive force acting at a distance.