Planetary Motion

Gravity and Planetary Motion

Issac Newton

Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation states that every particle attracts every other particle in the universe with force directly proportional to the product of the masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Answer the questions on the slides after the simulation.

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Experiment with Mass and distance using the Phet simulation.

Gravity Force Lab: Basics - Gravitational Force | Inverse Square Law | Force Pairs - PhET Interactive Simulations

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Multiple Choice

The bigger an object is, the smaller the force of gravity

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

As one object gets closer to another object, the force of gravity will increase.

• True

• False

Open Ended

Why do you think Saturn and Jupiter have more moons than the other planets in our solar system?

Multiple Select

Which variables affect gravity?

• Weight

• Mass

• Distance

• Density

• Speed

​Orbital motion occurs whenever an object is moving forward and at the same time is pulled by gravity toward another object.

How gravity affects orbits

is the motion of planetary bodies moving forward while being dragged by gravity toward another body.!

Orbital motion

Multiple Choice

What is true about the distance between a planet and the sun and the planet’s revolution around the Sun?

• The closer the planet is to the sun, the slower it orbits.

• The farther the planet is to the sun, the faster it orbits.

• The farther the planet is to the sun, the brighter the sun is.

• 
  The closer the planet is to the sun, the faster it orbits.

Multiple Choice

A(n) _____ is the curved path of an object around a point/object in space.

• revolution

• orbit

• rotation

• phase

Multiple Choice

A planet with a large orbit has...

• a short day

• a long year

• a long day

• a short year

Multiple Choice

Without gravity, the stars, planets and all objects in the universe would _______.

• move in a straight line

• move in a random direction

• stop moving

• continue to orbit each other

Multiple Choice

What would happen to Earth if the Sun's gravity disappeared?

• Earth would move toward the Sun and eventually crash into it.

• Earth would sit motionless and not moving.

• Earth would drift off in space because nothing would hold it in the Solar System.

• Earth would continue to orbit in our Solar System normally.

Multiple Choice

Here is a model of the gravitational force of Mars. Objects A and B have the same mass but are different distances from Mars. Which statement explains how the gravitational force affects the two objects?

• Object A and B will be affected equally by the gravitational force.

• Object B will be more affected by the gravitational force because it is closer to Mars than Object A.

• Object A will be more affected by the gravitational force because it is farther from Mars than Object B.