Yes. Attraction has received different names, according to the circumstances under which it acts: The force which keeps the particles of matter together to form bodies or masses, is called attraction of cohesion; that which makes bodies stick together only on their surfaces, is called adhesion; that which inclines different masses toward each other, as the earth and the heavenly bodies, is called gravitation; that which forces the particles of substances of different kinds to unite, is known under the name of chemical attraction; that which causes the needle of the compass to point constantly toward the poles of the earth, is magnetic attraction; that which is excited by friction in certain substances, is known as electrical attraction.
How do you know that attraction exists through the whole universe?
This great universal law was first discovered by Sir Isaac Newton. The sun and planets and other heavenly bodies are only guided in their path by gravitation.
Do we experience this attraction upon our earth?
Yes; because our earth is carried around the sun by it; and, further, the tides show it very clearly.
What are the Tides?
The ebbing and flowing of the sea, which regularly takes place twice in twenty-four hours. The cause of the tides is the attraction of the sun, but chiefly of the moon, acting on the waters of the ocean.
What is Gravity?
Gravity is the attraction between the earth and the bodies on the earth, which makes what we call weight of bodies.
What do you understand by specific weight or gravity?