Definition:Gravitation

Definition

Gravitation is the tendency of bodies with mass to attract each other.

Gravitation is one of the $4$ fundamental forces of nature.

Gravitational Force

The gravitational force on a body $B$ is the force which is exerted on $B$ as a result of the gravitational field whose influence it is under.

Also known as

Gravitation and gravitational force are also known as gravity.

However, this is usually reserved for its common usage as the force of gravity, in particular at the surface of Earth.

Also see

• Results about gravitation can be found here.

Linguistic Note

The word gravity derives from a Latin word meaning weighty.

Sources

• 1989: Ephraim J. Borowski and Jonathan M. Borwein: Dictionary of Mathematics ... (previous) ... (next): gravity
• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): gravitation
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): gravitation