4.03 Gravity Demos

​4.03 Gravity Demos

• ​Gravity: A force that pulls objects toward each other.

  • It's what keeps us on the ground and what keeps the planets moving around the Sun.

✨

• Mass: The amount of matter an object has.

  • Objects with more mass have stronger gravity.

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• Gravitational Attraction: The pull between two objects because of gravity.

  • The Sun's gravitational attraction pulls planets toward it and keeps them in orbit.

​Vocabulary

​Objective

​Today we will....
describe how gravity governs motion within Earth's solar system.

Open Ended

Have you ever seen anyone do the "magic trick" where they fill a bucket with water, and then spin the bucket in a big circle. SURPRISE! Not a drop of water falls out!

⭐️ How do you think this "science magic trick" works? How does the scientist-magician keep the water in the bucket?

Open Ended

•When we trip and fall on Earth, the gravity from Earth is what keeps us on the ground.

•Since the Moon is smaller than the Earth, it has less gravity.

•When astronauts were completing missions on the Moon in the 1960s, they often tripped over the rocky lunar surface.

⭐️ Why did their falls look so "bouncy"?

Open Ended

When the kicker kicks the football and tries to score an extra point, the same gravity force that keeps us from floating into space is the force that pulls the football to the ground.

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⭐️ What would happen if a football was kicked but there was no gravity pulling on it?

Open Ended

When the man swings the tennis ball on the string, a gravity force is created that pulls the tennis ball to his hand, and keeps it moving in a circle.

⭐️ What force does the string represent?

How does that force keep the tennis ball moving in a circle?

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MODEL
⭐️ ​Describe how the Earth is moving around the Sun. What shape is the path? ⭐️ Describe how the BIG Earth is moving around the SMALL Sun. What shape is the path?
⭐️ Describe how the SMALL Earth is moving around the BIG Sun. What shape is the path? ⭐️ Describe how the mass of the Sun keeps the Earth moving around it.

Open Ended

When something with a LOT of mass (like the Sun) is in space, it pulls smaller objects towards it and the objects orbit around the MASSIVE star.

⭐️ What is the force that pulls objects towards a star to make them orbit around?

Drag and Drop

Gravity is a ​ ​ ​

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of attraction.

Objects with greater

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mass have ​

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gravity.

Objects with smaller ​

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mass have ​

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gravity.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

force

(more)

stronger

(less)

weaker

Drag and Drop

The ​

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is the most massive object in our Solar System, so it has the ​

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mass.

All objects (planets, comets, asteroids, meteoroids) stay in their ​

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traveling around the Sun because of ​

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.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

Sun

greatest

orbits

gravity

Multiple Choice

What object in our Solar System has the strongest gravitational force?

• Jupiter
• Earth
• Mars
• The Sun

Open Ended

How is the sun able to control the motion of the planets, even though it doesn't touch them?

Multiple Choice

If the size of the sun increased A LOT and had three times as much mass as it does now, what might happen to the movement of the planets in our Solar System? Why would this occur?

• The planets would collide with each other from increased speed.
• The planets would stop moving entirely and remain stationary.
• The planets would drift away from the sun due to reduced gravity.
• The planets would likely move closer to the sun or change their orbits due to the increased gravitational pull.

Poll

Which of the demos you saw today was your favorite?

• Astronauts tripping and falling on the Moon.

• The kicker kicking the football.

• The tennis ball on a string.

• Exploring the PhET simulation: Gravity and Orbits

• Gravity on stretchy space-time fabric.

Poll

Which of the demos you saw today was the best example to show how the Sun's gravity controls the planets?

• Astronauts tripping and falling on the Moon.

• The kicker kicking the football.

• The tennis ball on a string.

• Exploring the PhET simulation: Gravity and Orbits

• Gravity on stretchy space-time fabric.

Open Ended

Sometimes gravity is called "the most important force in the universe". Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?