Work out the gravitational force between two objects with Newton's law of gravitation, based on their masses and the distance between them.
The gravitational force (F) between two masses (m₁ and m₂) depends on the gravitational constant (G ≈ 6.674 × 10⁻¹¹ N·m²/kg²) and the distance (r) between them — the force drops off quickly with the square of the distance.
The gravitational force between everyday objects, like two people, is extremely small and completely unnoticeable — for the default values above, the force is only about 0.000000327 N. It's only when the mass becomes enormous, as with a planet or a star, that gravity becomes noticeable. That's why we never feel any attraction toward other people or objects around us in everyday life.
The gravitational constant G is an extremely small number (6.674 × 10⁻¹¹), so the gravitational force between two objects with everyday mass becomes vanishingly small — far smaller than other forces like friction. Only when the mass becomes enormous, as with a planet, does gravity become noticeable.
The gravitational constant (G ≈ 6.674 × 10⁻¹¹ N·m²/kg²) is a fundamental physical constant that describes how strong the gravitational force is between two masses at a given distance. It's the same everywhere in the universe, no matter which objects are attracting each other.
The gravitational force decreases with the square of the distance between the masses. Double the distance, and the force becomes four times weaker. This relationship is called an "inverse square law" and also applies to other phenomena, like light intensity.