Gravitation

Gravitation is a naturall phenomenon by which objects with mass attract one another. In everyday life, gravitation is most commonly thought of as the agency which lends weight to objects with mass. Gravitation compels dispersed matter to coalesce, thus it accounts for the very existence of the Earth, the Sun, and most of the macroscopic objects in the universe. It is responsible for keeping the Earth and the other planets in their orbits around the Sun; for keeping the Moon in its orbit around the Earth, for the formation of tides; for convection (by which hot fluids rise); for heating the interiors of forming stars and planets to very high temperatures; and for various other phenomena that we observe.

Modern physics describes gravitation using the general theory of relativity, in which gravitation is a consequence of the curvature of space time which governs the motion of inertial objects. The simpler Newton’s law of universal gravitation provides an excellent approximation for most calculations.

The terms gravitation and gravity are mostly interchangeable in everyday use, but a distinction may be made in scientific usage. “Gravitation” is a general term describing the phenomenon by which bodies with mass are attracted to one another, while “gravity” refers specifically to the gravitational force exerted by the Earth on objects in its vicinity.

Задание 2. Ответьте на вопросы:

1. Is gravitation a natural phenomenon?

2. What is it responsible for?

3. How does modern physics describe gravitation?

4. Are the terms gravitation and gravity interchangeable in everyday use?

5. What provides an excellent approximation for most calculations?

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