Topic 4 Ex. 2 Flashcard: Gravity & Motion of the Solar System

Front

What effect does an increase in the mass of a planet have on the orbital period of its moons?

Back

An increase in mass would make the orbital period of a planet’s moons shorter.

Front

If the gravitational force on an object in a circular orbit increases, how does its orbit change?

Back

The orbit could become smaller.

Front

What happens to an asteroid's orbit when it moves away from the sun?

Back

The asteroid’s orbit would slow down and have a greater path.

Front

Define gravity.

Back

Gravity is the force that attracts two bodies towards each other, proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Front

What is the relationship between mass and gravitational force?

Back

The gravitational force increases with the mass of the objects involved.

Front

Explain the concept of orbital speed.

Back

Orbital speed is the speed at which an object travels along its orbit, influenced by the mass of the central body and the distance from it.

Front

What is an orbit?

Back

An orbit is the curved path of an object around a star, planet, or moon, due to the gravitational force.

Front

How does distance from a planet affect the gravitational force experienced by its moons?

Back

The gravitational force decreases as the distance from the planet increases.

Front

What is the significance of the term 'orbital period'?

Back

The orbital period is the time it takes for an object to complete one full orbit around another object.

Front

What happens to the speed of an object in orbit if it moves closer to the planet it is orbiting?

Back

The speed of the object increases as it moves closer to the planet.