What shape does the Earth's gravitational field have?

The Earth's gravitational field has a radial shape, which can be visualized as lines of force radiating outward from the Earth's center. This shape is due to the Earth's mass pulling objects toward itself uniformly in all directions, leading to a gravitational field that is strongest at the surface and decreases in strength with distance from the Earth's center.

The concept of radial fields applies universally to spherical objects. For a perfectly spherical body like Earth, the gravitational field lines are directed towards the center of the Earth, intersecting at all points along the surface. This characteristic illustrates that regardless of where you are on the planet, gravity acts towards the center, creating a radial pattern.

Understanding the nature of the Earth's gravitational field is fundamental in physics, especially when discussing topics like orbital mechanics and projectile motion, where the assumption of a radial field influences calculations and predictions.