Final answer:
An "inverse square law" in gravitation means the force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between objects. If distance doubles, gravitational force is reduced by a factor of four. The law is captured by the formula F = Gm1m2/r^2, where G is the gravitational constant.
Step-by-step explanation:
When referring to Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation describing gravitational force as an "inverse square law," it means that the gravitational force between two objects is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the centers of mass of those objects. This relationship indicates that if the distance between the objects is doubled, the gravitational force between them becomes four times weaker; conversely, if the distance is halved, the gravitational force becomes four times stronger. In essence, the further apart two objects are, the weaker the force of gravitation between them.
Formally, the law is expressed as F = Gm1m2/r2 where F is the magnitude of the gravitational force, G is the gravitational constant, m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects, and r is the distance between the centers of mass of the two objects. The law highlights that gravitational force is always attractive, depends only on the masses involved, and the distance separating them.