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Universal Law of Gravitation

Total questions: 26

Worksheet time: 29mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What does the variable G in the gravitational force equation represent? Fg = G m1 m2r2F_g\ =\ G\ \frac{m_1\ m_2}{r^2}  

a)

Universal gravitational constant

b)

Combined masses of the two objects

c)

Gravitational force

d)

Dielectric constant

2.
Which of the following is Newton's Law on Gravitation?
a)
F=Gm1m2/r
b)
F = Gm1m2/r2
c)
F = Gm1m2/2r
d)
F = m1m2/2r
3.
Two factors effecting the magnitude of the force of gravity between 2 objects are...
a)
mass and distance 
b)
mass and matter
c)
distance and weight 
d)
weight and mass
4.
Force of gravity is directly proportional to
a)
Mass
b)
Weight
c)
Distance
d)
Time
5.
Force of gravity is inversely proportional to
a)
Mass
b)
Weight
c)
Distance
d)
Time
6.
If Earth's mass was cut in half, what would happen to your mass?
a)
increase because gravitational force increases
b)
decrease because gravitational force decreases
c)
decrease because gravitational force increases
d)
nothing, mass is not affected by gravitational force
7.
Gravity attracts all objects towards one another.
a)
False
b)
True
c)
It depends
8.

Two spherical objects have masses of 8000 kg and 1500 kg. Their centers are separated by a distance of 1.5 m. Find the gravitational attraction between them

a)

5.4 X 10-4 N

b)

1.2 X 107 N

c)

3.6 X 10-4 N

d)

5.33 N

9.

What is the gravitational force between two identical 50,000 kg asteroids whose centers of mass are separated by 1000 m?

a)

2500 N

b)

3.3 x 10-12 N

c)

1.67 x 10-4 N

d)

1.67 x 10-7 N

10.

Which configuration will result in the greatest gravitational force?

a)

small masses far apart

b)

large masses far apart

c)

small masses close together

d)

large masses close together

11.
What happens to Gravitational force if I double both of the masses but don't change their distance?
a)
doubles
b)
half as big
c)
4x bigger
d)
4x smaller
12.
Two asteroids exert a gravitational force, F, on each other. Some time later, the asteroids are now three times as far from each other as before. Which of the following represents the gravitational force at this distance? 
a)
F/3
b)
F/2
c)
F/6
d)
F/9
13.

The space shuttle is orbiting the Earth clockwise. Which vector shows the direction of the gravitational force acting on the shuttle?

a)

a

b)

b

c)

c

d)

d

14.

The space shuttle is orbiting the Earth clockwise. Which vector shows the direction of the shuttle's instantaneous velocity?

a)

a

b)

b

c)

c

d)

d

15.

Which diagram best shows the gravitational interaction between Earth and a satellite?

a)
b)
c)
d)
16.

Two satellites of equal mass are in circular orbit around a planet. Satellite b is twice as far out. Which feels a stronger gravitational force?

a)

Satellite a

b)

Satellite b

c)

Both the same

17.

Two satellites of equal mass are in circular orbit around a planet. Satellite b is twice as far out. How much stronger is the planet’s gravity on satellite a (compared to satellite b)?

a)

2× as much

b)

3× as much

c)

4× as much

d)

5× as much

18.

Why do astronauts in this space shuttle feel weightless?

a)

They are in free fall, at the same rate as the shuttle

b)

There is an equal force pulling them away from Earth

c)

The gravity at that distance is too small to feel

d)

They pull on Earth as hard as it pulls on them

19.

If you could go to the center of the Earth, how would your weight change?

a)

increase a lot

b)

increase slightly

c)

stay the same

d)

decrease slightly

e)

become zero

20.

You want to launch a satellite into Earth orbit. You already know Earth’s mass, and the satellite’s mass. What additional information do you need to calculate the gravitational force that will act on it?

a)

The height it will have

b)

The acceleration of gravity at the surface

c)

Earth's distance from the Sun

d)

The satellite's size

21.
What did Kepler discover about planets and their orbital speed?
a)
Planets closest to the Sun will orbit with the fastest orbital speed.
b)
Planets with the greatest mass will orbit the Sun with the fastest orbital speed.
c)
Planets furthest from the Sun will orbit with the fastest orbital speed.
d)
Planets with the least mass will orbit the Sun with the fastest orbital speed.
22.
In simplest terms, what does Kepler's 3rd law state? 
a)
planets take a long time to orbit the sun
b)
there is no relationship between the distance of planet from the sun and the time it takes to orbit the sun
c)
there is a mathematical relationship between the distance of a planet from the sun and the time it takes to orbit the sun
d)
every planet has the same orbital period
23.
The farther away a planet is from the sun, the _______ it takes it to orbit the sun once. 
a)
longer
b)
shorter
24.
What are the factors which combine to to keep celestial bodies in orbit? 
a)
Air Resistance and Gravity 
b)
Gravity and Inertia 
c)
Inertia and orbital speed
d)
Orbital speed and gravity 
25.
If the centripetal force is removed, an object in circular motion would...
a)
Continue in circular motion
b)
Move in a straight line
26.

Why do objects experience centripetal acceleration even though they can have a constant speed?

a)

Because they are speeding up as they move in a circle

b)

Because they are constantly changing direction and hence, velocity changes, and that net change is directed inward.

c)

Because they are constantly changing both speed and direction

d)

Because when you have 100 people pedaling, you can speed up more easily.