Theory · proposed 1687 CE
Universal Gravitation
History of Astronomy
The theory
Newton's law that every mass attracts every other with a force proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Published in the Principia, it explained Kepler's laws, the tides, and the motion of comets from a single principle, uniting terrestrial and celestial physics.
Developed by
Confirmed by
Presented in
Knowledge connections
- Confirmed byThe Periodicity of Halley's Comet
- Confirmed byThe Prediction and Discovery of Neptune
- Introduced byPhilosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica
- Developed byIsaac Newton
- Part ofThe Scientific Revolution
- Associated withThe Restricted Three-Body Problem
- Associated withEscape Velocity
- Associated withCircular Orbital Velocity
- Associated withSurface Gravity
- Associated withMean Density
Sources & references
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- BritannicaEncyclopaedia Britannica
General reference for the history of astronomy, biographies, and cultural context.