Final answer:
The assertion regarding scientists' understanding of gravitational force before Schwarzschild is false; Newton's gravitational theories were well established, and Einstein's work on general relativity, not Schwarzschild, revolutionized our understanding of gravity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that before Schwarzschild, scientists had little understanding of the relativity of gravitational force is False. The study of gravitation and the relative nature of motion were well-established fields of scientific inquiry before Schwarzschild's contributions. In fact, Isaac Newton's law of universal gravitation, formulated in the 17th century, provided a highly successful framework for understanding the gravitational interactions between masses for centuries. It wasn't until the early 20th century that Albert Einstein developed the theory of general relativity, a revolutionary new understanding of gravity that expanded on Newton's work and addressed its limitations at very large scales and high relative velocities.
General relativity became critically important for understanding extreme astronomical phenomena like black holes, which Schwarzschild's solution helps describe. Furthermore, scientific developments like gravitational wave astronomy have provided empirical evidence supporting general relativity. The field of modern physics continues to explore the intricacies of gravity, spacetime, and quantum mechanics, aiming for a unified theory.