![]() ![]() ![]() This theoretical prediction was a major triumph. But Newton was the first to propose an exact mathematical form and to use that form to show that the motion of heavenly bodies should be conic sections-circles, ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas. Some of Newton’s contemporaries, such as Robert Hooke, Christopher Wren, and Edmund Halley, had also made some progress toward understanding gravitation. ![]() His forerunner, Galileo Galilei, had contended that falling bodies and planetary motions had the same cause. But Newton was not the first to suspect that the same force caused both our weight and the motion of planets. Sir Isaac Newton was the first scientist to precisely define the gravitational force, and to show that it could explain both falling bodies and astronomical motions. Concepts Related to Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation General relativity is broader and includes special relativity, which was published first. General relativity is a theory of gravity and applies to observers that are accelerating. Special relativity is a theory of spacetime and applies to observers moving at constant velocity. Ask if anyone knows the difference between special relativity and general relativity. ![]() Compare the contributions of Kepler, Newton, and Einstein. In this section, students will apply Newton’s law of universal gravitation to objects close at hand and far off in the depths of the solar system. ![]()
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