It is thus an assertion that the mathematics of the inverse square law in physics can be applied to many geographic phenomena, and is one of the ways in which physics principles such as gravity are often applied metaphorically to geographic situations.
In practice, it is often parameterized to fit a specific situation, such as in which the constant A is a vertical stretching factor, B is a horizontal shift (so that the curve has a y-axis intercept at a finite value), and k is the decay power.
With the advent of faster travel and communications technology, such as telegraphs, telephones, broadcasting, and internet, the effects of distance have been reduced, a trend known as time-space convergence.
[4] Exceptions include places previously connected by now-abandoned railways, for example, have fallen off the beaten path.
"Loss of Strength Gradient" holds that the amount of a nation's military power that could be brought to bear in any part of the world depends on geographic distance.