If not for gravity, you would not be able to walk on the Earth’s surface and instead float away.Gravity plays a very vital role in keeping the Solar System in its place. It helps the planets to orbit the Sun from a safe distance.If there were no gravitational pull of the Earth to keep human beings, animals, trees, and buildings rooted to the ground, then we would have been pulled by the Sun’s gravity and burnt away. Everything has gravity, including human beings, but the Earth’s gravity is far stronger than ours, and hence, we don’t feel it.Gravity also depends on the size of the objects and their closeness. Hence, the Earth, which is larger than the Moon, has higher gravity than its satellite. Also, the Earth’s gravitational pull towards the Moon is stronger when compared to the Earth with any other planets because the Earth and the Moon are closer to each other.If you enjoyed this article, why not also read about facts about cesium and glacier facts here on Kidadl?Gravity Meaning With ExamplesGravity is the force that attracts two bodies towards each other.In simple terms, gravity is nothing but a magnet that pulls objects towards each other.The gravitational force helps the Earth orbit around the Sun, helping you to enjoy the Sun’s light from a secured and safe distance. And it is the same force of gravity that enables the Moon to orbit the Earth.Also, the gravity of the Earth helps in holding onto the atmosphere, helping us breathe and live. Without gravity, the world would simply not exist.Gravity is dependent on two factors. Firstly, the mass of the two objects. It is directly dependent on them. And secondly, it is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the two objects.Gravity is measured in terms of units of acceleration which is meters per second squared. It is 9.81 m/s2 or (32.2 ft/s2) on the earth’s surface.It is also claimed that gravity is caused due to a subatomic particle called the graviton that attracts objects. But it has never been observed to confirm this.Gravity and gravitation force are two different things. Gravity means the gravitational field that surrounds an object and has a magnetic or attractive force. Gravitational force is the magnetic energy that attracts one object towards another.So, the Earth has gravity, and its gravitational force attracts objects towards it. The strong gravitational pull and force of the Earth on an object or body is measured in terms of the mass of the object.One of the important gravity facts to know is that gravity only attracts one object to another and does not repel or push one object from another.As per quantum mechanics, you cannot escape Earth’s gravity that the Earth exerts no matter how far you go. Earth’s gravity pulling you down will continue. Even though astronauts feel weightless in a space station orbiting the Earth, microgravity is still working.Gravity that the Earth exerts has the same effect in water as in the air. The gravity of the Earth pulls down the object thrown in the water. But there is a catch. If the water displaced is the same as the mass of the object, the substance will float in the water rather than sink.For example, if a boat with a mass of 100 lb (45.3 kg) displaces the same 100 lb (45.3 kg) of water before the boat sinks below the water’s surface, the boat will float on the water.You will weigh three times less on Mars due to its gravity as compared to your weight on the Earth. It is the same with the Moon.The moon’s gravity is said to be 1/6th of that of Earth’s, meaning if you weigh 120 lb (54 kg) on Earth, your weight on the moon will be 20 lb (9 kg).Some of the real-life examples of gravity include a ball falling down to Earth when thrown up in the air, a car going downhill without accelerating, a pen rolling off and falling onto the ground, a rock or stone rolling down, and hair falling onto the ground during a haircut. Gravity Discovery Story For KidsSir Isaac Newton discovered gravity, and there is a funny incident related to this discovery.There is a belief that Isaac Newton was hit on his head by an apple fall, and it then made him think that a force pulls things towards the Earth. However, that isn’t the case.Isaac Newton was sitting in a garden and saw an apple fall from a tree, and that propelled him to think deeper on this force that is pulling things towards the Earth instead of it floating in the atmosphere.After a lot of research, he called this force ‘gravity’ and published his findings in a book in 1687. He wrote the three laws of gravitation in his book and even mathematically described it as G or universal gravitational constant.Newton’s theory explains the movement of things and why the Earth attracts all objects towards it. So, that’s how Newton discovered gravity due to an apple falling from a tree and not an apple hitting his head.Later, Albert Einstein developed his theory of relativity based on gravity, mass, and energy. This theory of relativity states that gravity is a curving of space instead of one object attracting another.Gravity CausesGravity is one of the four fundamental forces on which the whole Solar System stands, and hence, it is important for the existence of human life, plants, and animals on the Earth.Gravity causes the Earth and its Moon to revolve around the Sun. If there were no gravity, all other planets, including the Earth and its satellite or Moon, would simply drift away.The strong gravitational energy of the Sun compresses its core, resulting in the burning of hydrogen and maintaining its equilibrium.In the absence of gravity, the Sun would throw hot gases, and within a few minutes, it would just explode, destroying the whole Solar System. Gravity Role In Everyday LifeGravity plays an important role in our daily lives even though it is hardly recognized and passed off as the attribute of nature.The ocean tides are due to the Moon’s gravitational attraction on the Earth’s water bodies. So, high tide occurs when the moon is in line with the Earth and makes its strongest gravitational pull on the oceans.The Moon’s gravity also makes a pull on the smaller water bodies such as rivers and lakes but to a lesser extent.The Earth’s gravity helps you and other objects stay rooted to the ground and not drift away or fly into space.Although the Sun also has a strong force of gravity, it is too far to pull you towards it. But as the Earth is closer, it pulls you and other objects towards itself due to gravity.Gravity also helps in the growth of plants, which respond to stimuli.The stem grows upward in response to the light, while the root grows downwards towards the center of the Earth, responding to the gravitational pull of the planet. The plant’s response to the gravity of the Earth is called gravitropism. Did You Know….The Earth’s mass is 6 billion trillion tons (6096 billion trillion kg), which is calculated by its gravitational pull.Lord Henry Cavendish conducted an experiment in 1797 to calculate the force of gravity and use the new value of G with Newton’s equation. He was able to predict the weight of the Earth.Fishes also use the gravitational pull of the Earth to remain below the water’s surface. Fishes’ heads have calcium carbonate deposits pulled down by gravity and help them remain underwater.One of the interesting gravity facts is that a fridge magnet does not fall and sticks to the machine as its electromagnetic force is powerful enough to thwart the Earth’s gravitational pull.Objects fall at the same acceleration or same speed and at the same time due to the gravitational attraction of the Earth irrespective of their masses, as proved by Italian scientist Galileo Galilei in the 14 century when he dropped two spheres of varied masses from the Leaning Tower of Pisa.It means two balls of different mass will reach the ground simultaneously if thrown at the same time from the same height. However, as per Einstein’s theory, there is nothing to separate gravitational acceleration from any other acceleration.This gravitational acceleration or acceleration due to gravity is the same on the Earth’s surface, but it is weak at a high altitude. So, you will weigh a little less on top of a mountain as compared to sea level.An object or a person can leave the Earth’s gravity behind. However, they have to travel at an unbelievable speed of 7 mps (11 kps).Of all the four fundamental forces - the electromagnetic force, the gravitational force, the strong force, and the weak force - gravity is the weakest.Although the strength of gravity decreases when the two objects move farther apart, their range or reach is infinite. In other words, the gravitational pull of the Earth could never drop to 0.If gravity pulls things towards it, then how is the universe continuously expanding? This is explained through dark energy that opposes the pull of gravity, resulting in the expansion of the universe.Dark energy works in the expansion of the universe as it is distributed evenly throughout, preventing gravity from pulling things towards it.Astronauts in space don’t actually float, although it appears they are floating. They are being pulled down by the force of gravity of the Earth, but as their space station is orbiting the Earth, they are also moving sideways.So, this sideways movement of their spaceship is moving them away from the Earth, which is simultaneously pulling them down, and thus, it appears the astronauts are floating. This is called centrifugal force.Another real-life example of centrifugal force is the force experienced by roller coaster riders.As astronauts stay in space, they grow taller by 2 in (5.08 cm) due to the lack of gravity. However, as they return to Earth, they are back to normal size as the Earth’s gravity reverses the growth.Also, you would be weightless when you float in outer space due to zero gravity. Astronauts prepare for their space travel in planes where a person is weightless briefly because of its up and down motion or the parabolic arc.NASA, the space research agency in the USA, puts its astronauts in parabolic flights that create free-fall after reaching a certain height just to train them for floating in outer space.Although gravity has its effects across the Earth, its most telling impact is seen in the South Pole, making the place inhabitable. The South Pole experiences hurricane winds called Katabatic winds that make it highly difficult to survive and live there.Under gravity, these winds, which are caused by cold winds situated a few hundred meters off the Antarctic ice sheets, blow towards the coast and could be as lethal or strong as 199 mph (320 kph), making a living in the South Pole a nightmare.Apart from gravity, the weather conditions in the South Pole are not conducive for living, although scientists live there in nightmarish conditions for their research.The South Pole is also the coldest place on the Earth, with its warmest being -10.4 F (-12 C). Thanks to its location, the South Pole receives just one sunrise and one sunset in a year.There is no anti-gravity device invented or discovered by scientists. However, gravity could be diffused by a few measures, such as free fall or putting objects in orbit.If you had seen ‘wall of the death’ or a fair spinning ride, you would have noticed the riders go in a circle in the outer walls without falling down.This spinning motion causes artificial gravity, and the force experienced by the rider is called centripetal force, which allows him to move in a circle without falling down.There are millions of black holes in the universe, scientists believe. These black holes are said to have gravity pulling everything towards their center, including light. And its center could be as tiny as a small atom, thus making the black hole invisible. Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 35 amazing gravity facts that will explain why objects fall! then why not take a look at benthic zone facts: amazing details on deep-sea floor revealed!, or Bergen county facts: know curious details about this New Jersey county.
If not for gravity, you would not be able to walk on the Earth’s surface and instead float away.
