Masses and How They Affect Gravity Vocabulary

Front

What is gravity?

Back

The force by which a planet or other body draws objects toward its center.

Front

What is a galaxy?

Back

A vast system of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity.

Front

What are planets?

Back

Large celestial bodies that orbit stars, with sufficient mass to assume a nearly spherical shape. Examples include Earth, Mars, and Jupiter.

Front

What is velocity?

Back

A vector quantity that describes the rate of motion of an object, including both its speed and direction.

Front

What is an ellipse?

Back

A geometric shape that is a flattened circle or oval, characterized by its two axes, major and minor, which may have different lengths.

Front

What is mass?

Back

A measure of the amount of matter in an object, typically measured in kilograms.

Front

What is weight?

Back

The force exerted by gravity on an object, calculated as mass times the acceleration due to gravity.

Front

What is the law of universal gravitation?

Back

A law stating that every point mass attracts every other point mass in the universe with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers.

Front

What is a black hole?

Back

A region of space where the gravitational pull is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape from it.

Front

What is the difference between mass and weight?

Back

Mass is the amount of matter in an object, while weight is the force of gravity acting on that mass.