Newton's theory of gravitation
- noun
- /ˈnjuːtənz ˈθɪəri əv ˌɡrævɪˈteɪʃən/
- Specialized
:
teoría de la gravitación de Newton
- The orbits of the planets can be predicted accurately using Newton's theory of gravitation.
Examples
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According to Newton's theory of gravitation, objects attract each other.
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Before Einstein's work, most scientists explained gravity using Newton's theory of gravitation.
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High school physics students often learn about Newton's theory of gravitation early in their courses.
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Many scientists accept Newton's theory of gravitation as fundamental.
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Sir Isaac Newton's theory of gravitation explains how the force of attraction between two masses decreases as they move further apart.
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According to Newton's theory of gravitation, every object in the universe pulls on every other object with a force that can be calculated.
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In our physics class, we learned that Newton's theory of gravitation is fundamental to understanding how planets orbit the sun.
Synonyms
4
3.7
An idea that all objects pull on each other, more when they are heavier and closer
1
4.8
A scientific idea that objects with mass pull on each other more strongly when they are heavier and closer
A scientific idea about how objects pull each other, with larger objects pulling more and pull weakening with distance
A law saying every two objects pull each other with force that grows with mass and decreases with distance
All objects attract each other with a force that grows with mass and falls with distance
Surface Forms
Morphology
Newton's + theory + of + gravitation
The phrase is fully compositional: 'Newton's' marks authorship/attribution, 'theory' means an explanatory set of ideas, and 'gravitation' refers to the force causing masses to attract. Combined, a learner who knows these constituents can readily infer it refers to Newton's scientific explanation of gravity; this is a common, cross-linguistic noun-possession + noun construction and therefore transparent.
Etymology
Newton's theory of gravitation comes from the famous story of Isaac Newton watching an apple fall from a tree and thinking about why things fall to the ground. That simple picture—an apple pulled by a 'force'—helped him describe how objects 'attract' each other, so the name now means his idea about gravity.