Who was the first to experimentally determine the value of the Universal Gravitational Constant (G)?

Henry Cavendish

The correct answer is option 1. Henry Cavendish.

Henry Cavendish, an English scientist, was the first to experimentally determine the value of the Universal Gravitational Constant (G). He conducted the experiment in 1797-1798, nearly a century after Isaac Newton proposed the law of universal gravitation.

Cavendish's experiment involved a torsion balance, a device consisting of a horizontal rod suspended from a thin wire, with two small lead spheres attached at each end. Larger lead spheres were placed near the smaller ones to induce gravitational attraction. By measuring the angle of deflection caused by the gravitational force between the spheres, Cavendish was able to calculate the gravitational constant.

His groundbreaking work provided a precise measurement of G, which is crucial for understanding gravitational forces between objects in the universe. Today, the value of G he determined is widely accepted and serves as a fundamental constant in physics.