What Happened
The gravitational constant, affectionally known as "Big G," is one of the most fundamental constants of our universe.
Table of Contents
Why It Matters
Its value describes the strength of the gravitational force acting on two masses separated by a given distance—or if you want to be relativistic about it, the amount a given mass curves space-time.
Key Details
- Physicists have a solid ballpark figure for the value of Big G, but they've been trying to measure it ever more precisely for more than two centuries, each effort yielding slightly different values.
- And we do mean slight: The values vary by roughly one part in 10,000.
- Still, other fundamental constants are known much more precisely.
- So Big G is the black sheep of the family and a point of frustration for physicists keen on precision metrology.
Background Context
The gravitational constant, affectionally known as "Big G," is one of the most fundamental constants of our universe. Its value describes the strength of the gravitational force acting on two masses separated by a given distance—or if you want to be relativistic about it, the amount a given mass curves space-time. Physicists have a solid ballpark figure for the value of Big G, but they've been trying to measure it ever more precisely for more than two centuries, each effort yielding slightly different values. And we do mean slight: The values vary by roughly one part in 10,000. Still, other fundamental constants are known much more precisely. So Big G is the black sheep of the family and a p
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Source: Ars Technica – All content – Original Link
Source: Ars Technica – All content
