Frank L. H. Wolfs
Department of
Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Slide 40
Newton's gravitational law.
¥Newton's gravitational law states that two objects
attract each other with a force that is proportional to the product of their
masses and inversely proportional to the square of their distance:
¥Newton's gravitational law was very successful in
describing the motion of the moon, the planets, and many other objects in our
universe.
¥However, Newton's gravitational law was also clearly
inconsistent with Einstein's special theory of relativity.
¥Why ÉÉ.. since the distance r12 depends on the reference frame, the
force also depends on the reference frame used.