Newton Theorized Gravity: Why Do Things Fall?

The human species is one that craves knowledge. An innate trait in human cognition has always led us to search for the understanding of why things happen. When thinkers across time such as Aristotle, Copernicus, Newton, and Einstein went searching for understanding of the cosmos, they realized that the question of “how” the universe behaves as it does is just as important as “why it does.” One example of this is the broad concept of gravity. The original question was “why do things fall?” This was the question for some time until Newton realized the relevant question is “how do things fall?” The answer to these ultimately leads to re-evaluation of the topic in asking “Do things fall?” It would seem as though the most accurate resolution to this question is found through …show more content…
In his eyes, an apple dropping from a tree and ultimately landing on the ground must have a definitive explanation. The sometimes-accepted element of randomness in this world was not an acceptable explanation of things falling. Newton determined that because Earth is not the center of the universe, there must be some sort of force between the earth and any object that falls to it. When Newton observed the moon and its orbit, he decided that it must move in a circular motion because of a pulling force from Earth. From his reference frame, the moon seemed to remain the same size while it moved across the sky. This led Newton to believe that the moon moves in a circular pattern in relation to the earth. Because the moon does not continue in a straight line away from Earth, there must be a pulling force exerted by the Earth on the moon. This begged the question of whether or not an object falling on earth was the same force holding the moon in orbit. This was the question Newton thought of when he observed the, aforementioned, apple. He came to the realization that mass must also be a factor in