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Who formulated the universal law of gravitation and mathematically derived Kepler's laws of planetary motion?
AJohannes Kepler
BSir Isaac Newton
CHenry Cavendish
DGalileo Galilei
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. Sir Isaac Newton
1. Kepler stated three empirical laws of planetary motion but could not explain why planets obey them.
2. Newton, in his book *Principia*, gave the laws of motion and the theory of gravity.
3. Using his theory of gravity, Newton mathematically derived Kepler's laws.
4. Hence the universal law of gravitation was formulated by Newton.
_Source: Balbharati (Maharashtra Board) Class 10 Science & Technology, Ch 1 "Gravitation", p.11_
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