gravitaatiokenttävektorin

Gravitaatiokenttävektori, often denoted by g , represents the gravitational field at a specific point in space. It is a vector quantity, meaning it possesses both magnitude and direction. The magnitude of the gravitaatiokenttävektori at a point is equal to the gravitational acceleration experienced by a test mass placed at that point. The direction of the vector points towards the source of the gravitational field, typically a massive object.

According to Newton's law of universal gravitation, the gravitaatiokenttävektori created by a point mass M at a distance r from it is given by the formula g = -GM/r^2 * r̂, where G is the gravitational constant, M is the mass of the source, r is the distance from the source, and r̂ is a unit vector pointing radially outward from the source. The negative sign indicates that the force is attractive, pulling towards the source. For extended bodies, the gravitaatiokenttävektori can be calculated by integrating the contributions from infinitesimal mass elements.

In Einstein's theory of general relativity, gravity is described not as a force but as a curvature of spacetime. The gravitaatiokenttävektori can be viewed as a manifestation of this curvature. While the concept of a gravitaatiokenttävektori is a useful approximation in many situations, particularly in weak gravitational fields, the more fundamental description involves the metric tensor of spacetime. Nonetheless, the gravitaatiokenttävektori remains a crucial tool for understanding and calculating gravitational effects in classical physics.