law of gravitation

[ law uhv grav-i-tey-shuhn ]

noun

, Physics.

1. a law stating that any two masses attract each other with a force equal to a constant (​called the gravitational constant ) multiplied by the product of the two masses and divided by the square of the distance between them.

law of gravitation

1. See Newton's law of gravitation

Word History and Origins

Origin of law of gravitation¹

First recorded in 1755–65

Example Sentences

If this alternative gravity theory is correct, it would be a "major revolution," Loeb said, emphasizing it would be at the scale of Newton's law of gravitation and Einstein's law of gravity.

From Salon

A universal law of gravitation that is truly universal renders the up there/down here distinction meaningless, at least physically.

From Scientific American

Newton’s universal law of gravitation is a fine example.

From Scientific American

Indeed the law of gravitation itself was not tested until British scientist Henry Cavendish did so in 1798, while measuring the density of the Earth.

From US News

In particular, he solved what many in the eighteenth century considered the most important open problem in astronomy: reconciling the complex motions of the Moon with Newton's universal law of gravitation.

From Nature