Scientists have conducted the most precise test yet of Newton's law of gravity at sub-millimeter scales, confirming its accuracy down to 0.1 millimeters. The experiment used a sophisticated torsion balance to measure gravitational forces between small masses, finding no deviations from Newton's inverse-square law. This result places new constraints on theories of modified gravity and potential extra dimensions.
Background
Newton's law of universal gravitation, formulated in 1687, describes the gravitational attraction between objects with mass. While Einstein's general relativity has superseded it for strong gravitational fields, Newton's law remains accurate for most practical purposes and continues to be tested at increasingly smaller scales.
- Source
- Hacker News (RSS)
- Published
- May 4, 2026 at 08:52 PM
- Score
- 8.0 / 10