Gravitational Fields Quiz

Which of the following best describes a gravitational field?

• A force that pushes objects away from each other.

• A region of space where a mass experiences an attractive force from another mass.

• A region where objects repel each other with equal force.

• A space where massless objects experience gravitational pull.

Gravitational field strength is defined as:

• The gravitational force between two masses.

• The gravitational force experienced by a unit mass at a point in the field.

• The acceleration of any object due to gravity.

• The force required to keep an object in orbit around a planet.

According to Newton’s Law of Gravitation, the gravitational force between two objects is:

• Directly proportional to the square of the distance between them.

• Inversely proportional to the product of their masses.

• Directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of their separation distance.

• Independent of their distance apart.

What happens to the gravitational field strength as you move further from the center of the Earth?

• It increases exponentially.

• It decreases proportionally to the distance.

• It decreases inversely with the square of the distance.

• It remains constant.

Gravitational potential energy is:

• Always positive and increases with distance from a massive object.

• The energy needed to move a unit mass to infinity from a point within a gravitational field.

• The energy an object has due to its motion within a gravitational field.

• Always negative and increases in magnitude as the object gets closer to the massive object.

The gravitational potential at a distance r from a point mass M is given by:

• Vg=GMr/2V_g = \frac{GM}{r^2}Vg=r2GM

• Vg=-GMrV_g = -\frac{GM}{r}Vg=-rGM

• Vg=-GMr^2V_g = \frac{-GM}{r^2}Vg=r2−GM

• Vg=GMrV_g = \frac{GM}{r}Vg=rGM

For a satellite to escape the Earth's gravitational field, it must:

• Have a speed less than the escape velocity.

• Have its kinetic energy greater than the gravitational potential energy.

• Have zero kinetic energy at the surface.

• Match the Earth’s orbital speed.

Kepler’s First Law states that:

• Planets orbit the Sun in circular orbits with the Sun at the center.

• Planets orbit the Sun in elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus.

• The square of the orbital period is proportional to the cube of the planet's average distance from the Sun.

• The closer a planet is to the Sun, the slower it moves in its orbit.

Kepler’s Third Law is useful for:

• Predicting the future position of a planet in its orbit.

• Determining the time period of an orbit based on the distance between the planet and the Sun.

• Calculating the gravitational potential energy of a planet.

• Explaining why some planets move faster than others in their orbits.

Which of the following is true according to Kepler’s Third Law?

• The square of the period of orbit is inversely proportional to the cube of the radius of the orbit.

• The square of the period of orbit is directly proportional to the cube of the radius of the orbit.

• The radius of the orbit is proportional to the square of the period.

• The orbital speed is proportional to the distance from the Sun.