How have science ideas about gravity changed over the years?

Answer 1

"If an apple falls, does the moon also fall?"

This question triggered the discovery and understanding of gravity, by Sir Isaac newton. He devised an equation to theorise gravity:

F=GMm/r2.

G = universal gravitational constant, 6.673x10-11

M,m = masses of the two objects gravitationally attracting each other

r = distance between objects

This was a very close approximation for the time being, and in fact even today, but after Einstein's Theories of Special and General Relativity, gravity would never be lookad at the same way again.

Einstein developed 10 field equations which better explain space-time as a fabric, and postulated that gravity is caused by warps in this fabric caused by large masses.

This therefore meant that gravity warps the flow of time - and that objects with extremely strong gravitational fields such as black holes slow down time around them.

Some of the most recent ideas, thoughts and theories on gravity arose from the Standard Model, which claims that the force of gravity is mediated by light-speed particles called Gravitons.

This would mean that if the sun were to suddenly disappear, we would not only receive its light for 8 minutes and 20 seconds after it vanished, but we would also continue moving in orbit for this time, after which the night sky would become visible and the Earth would begin moving in a straight line.

Gravitons are mysterious particles that have not yeet been discovered or observed, but are known to be massless, since gravity has an infinite range.

Answer 2

Science ideas about gravity have evolved over time, with Isaac Newton's law of universal gravitation in the 17th century being a major milestone. In the 20th century, Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity provided a new understanding of gravity as the curvature of spacetime caused by mass. More recently, theories like quantum gravity aim to reconcile general relativity with quantum mechanics at the smallest scales.