Mass plays a crucial role in the movement caused by gravitational forces. Mass is the measure of the amount of matter in an object, and it directly influences how objects respond to forces.
- More mass means more gravitational pull.
- More mass also means more inertia, making it harder to move.
When an object falls, the Earth's gravitational force acts on it, making it accelerate towards the ground. According to Newton's Second Law of Motion, \[ F = ma \] where \[ F \] is force, \[ m \] is mass, and \[ a \] is acceleration.
Although the object also exerts a gravitational force on Earth, Earth's massive size means the acceleration it experiences is extremely small. This is why we do not notice Earth moving towards a falling object.
Understanding mass and movement helps clarify why large objects like Earth seem immovable compared to smaller objects that we see falling every day.