Gravitation

Gravitation is the fundamental force of attraction between objects having masses. In everyday life, gravitation is commonly thought of as the weight of an object.

the fundamental force of attraction that exists between all particles with mass in the universe

Gravitation keeps the Earth and the other planets in their orbits around the Sun. It keeps the Moon in its orbit around the Earth. It causes tides, convection and many other things that happen. Gravitation is also the reason that the Earth, the Sun, and most other objects in space exist. Without it, matter would not have come together into these big masses. Without gravitation, life as we know it would not exist.

Physics describes gravitation using the theory of general relativity. Newton's law of universal gravitation is very similar to the theory of relativity but much more simple.

The term "gravity" is often used to mean "gravitation". In science, the terms "gravitation" and "gravity" are used differently. "Gravitation" is the theory about the attraction. "Gravity" is the force that pulls objects towards each other. Unit of gravitational force is Newton.

/Four potential gravitation

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gravitation.

Look up Gravitation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Gravity Probe B Experiment The Official Einstein website from Stanford University
• Gravity for kids (flash)
• How stuff works: How does gravity work?