A student says G is larger near a very massive star than near Earth. Is the student correct?
Every object attracts every other. The bookcase attracts the chair, and you attract your desk. So why does nothing in the room ever creep together?
The answer is the number you just met: G.
Two people stand one meter apart. Each has mass, so each attracts the other. The force between them is less than a millionth of a newton. For comparison, the force from Earth on one person is about 690 N.
The gap comes from G. G is tiny, and G multiplies into every gravitational force. Multiply everyday masses by a tiny G, and the force comes out far too small to notice.
Earth's mass is enormous. That is why the force from Earth on you is obvious while the force from you on your desk goes unnoticed.
Two delivery vans park side by side. Why does neither van roll toward the other?
Write down the facts:
Each van attracts the other, because both have mass.
G is tiny, and neither van's mass is enormous.
So the force between the vans is far too small to move them.
The vans stay put: the force is real but far too small to notice.
Two moving vans are parked side by side. The gravitational pull between them is…
Why is the pull between two neighboring cars far too small to notice?
Arlo says Earth's pull on him is noticeable because Earth's mass is enormous. Is Arlo correct?
Between which pair is the gravitational pull large enough to notice?
A marble lies on a level table beside a bowling ball. What happens over the next hour?
The pull between two tugboats is immeasurably small, yet Earth's pull on one tugboat is huge. What makes the difference?