gravitational force
7
4.2
- noun
- /ˌɡrævɪˈteɪʃənl fɔrs/
- Specialized
:
fuerza gravitacional
- Weight is the gravitational force exerted by the Earth on an object.
- exert gravitational force
And the, the, the gravitational force is much, much weaker than these other forces.
- And the, the, the gravitational force is much, much weaker than these other forces.
- Indeed, planet formation simulations have never produced such objects without some extrinsic gravitational force.
- Some mysterious thing which we call gravitational force, holding you and I in place right now, where you sit in your home.
- This equation represents the gravitational force per unit mass.
Examples
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Their bodies are subject to the tremendous pull of gravitational force.
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The acceleration and the gravitational force pull in opposite directions.
Fiction book (1999) -
So we have our gravitational force, we have a normal force.
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We'll be feeling the gravitational force... right now.
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It's called a black hole because its gravitational force is so strong that not even light can escape.
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There is no gravitational force of weight pulling you down.
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This equation represents the gravitational force per unit mass.
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Weight is the gravitational force exerted by the Earth on that body.
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The foremost example was the gravitational force by which large masses attract each other.
Academic text (2006) -
The gravitational forces of the halo affect the motion of stars and gas.
Academic text (1995)
Synonyms
335
2.3
The force that makes things fall to the ground and keeps planets moving
96
2.8
A force that pulls objects toward each other, like gravity or magnets
4
4.1
A force that pulls objects toward each other and makes things fall to Earth
1
4.1
The force that pulls two objects toward each other, for example toward a planet
1
6.8
A force that pulls objects with mass toward each other, keeping planets and moons in place
1
3.4
The pull that makes things fall toward Earth or another large body
1
4.7
A pull that makes two things move toward each other, like gravity or magnets
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is transparently composed: 'gravitational' relates to gravity and 'force' means a power or pull, so together they directly denote the force produced by gravity. This composition is conceptually straightforward and mirrors equivalent expressions in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Gravitational force comes from the famous story of Isaac Newton and an apple: the apple fell because the Earth gave an invisible pull. So gravitational force means that invisible 'pull' between objects like the Earth and the Moon.