You must complete Force: Meaning; Types and Uses of Force to unlock this Lesson.

GRAVITATION AND WEIGHTLESSNESS

CONTENT

Meaning of Gravitation
Effect of Gravitation on Objects
Weightlessness

Meaning of Gravitation

Gravitation is a type of force that acts on a body across a distance, without any contact between the source and the body. The earth exerts a gravitational force on bodies by which it pulls these bodies towards its centre. This is why fruits fall to the ground from the tree and do not rise upwards. Also, when a stone is thrown upwards it soon stops its upward movement and starts to fall back to the earth. The force of gravity is a universal force. It exists between the earth and bodies and between planets and stars. Gravitational pull determines the weight of objects. The amount of force with which gravity pulls an object depends on three things, namely:

You are viewing an excerpt of this lesson. Subscribing to the subject will give you access to the following:

NEW: Download the entire term's content in MS Word document format (1-year plan only)
The complete lesson note and evaluation questions for this topic
The complete lessons for the subject and class (First Term, Second Term & Third Term)
Media-rich, interactive and gamified content
End-of-lesson objective questions with detailed explanations to force mastery of content
Simulated termly preparatory examination questions
Discussion boards on all lessons and subjects
Guaranteed learning