If gravity stops us floating off into space then why are we able to jump off the ground?
In: 0
Gravity is a very weak force.
But…
Gravity is the strongest force in the universe.
How can both be true? Gravity has incredible *range*.
You intuitively know that gravity isn’t that tough, you can overpower the entire planet simply by climbing up a flight of stairs.
But at the top of the stairs fifteen feet away, you haven’t escaped Earth’s gravity. Not even close.
A magnet or an atomic nucleus can project a *much* more powerful force with far less mass, but you can defeat it by moving a foot away.
Gravity has no such range limitations and decreases over a scale of miles instead of millimeters.
You can beat gravity easy for a second, but you’ll never escape its vast range.
Latest Answers