Gravity Notes

This section includes chapters 12-14 in the text.

Indiana State Standards that relate to Ch 12 -14.

Ch 12-14 Terms & Objectives

Concepts:

Law of Universal Gravitation
- The Gravitational Field
  - Gravitational Field Inside a Planet
- Weight & Weightlessness
- The Tides
- Black Holes
- Satellite Motion
  - Circular Orbits
  - Elliptical Orbits
  - Energy Conservation & Satellite Motion
  - Escape Speed & Escape Energy
Concept Summary (download the PowerPoint presentation)
Activities:
- Plotting the Orbit of a Planet Using Excel
Links:
- CPSurf.com - annotated links keyed to your textbook
- Ch 12 - Gravitation
- Medieval Cosmology - lecture notes from the University of Oregon
- Ch 13 - Gravitational Interactions
  - Lunar Tides - part of Astronomy 161 - The Solar System, from the University of Tennessee
  - Black Hole FAQ - by Ted Bunn at the Center for Particle Astrophysics
  - Virtual Trip to a Black Hole - by Robert Nemiroff of Michigan Technical University
  - Black Hole - by the Goddard Space Flight Center
- Ch 14 - Satellite Motion
  - Satellite Motion by The Multimedia Physics Studios at Glennbrook High School - very nice .gif animations illustrate the points
  - Johannes Kepler: The Laws of Planetary Motion - part of Astronomy 161 - The Solar System, from the University of Tennessee
  - The Three-Body Problem (Flash Application) - manipulate the position and mass of a planet relative to two fixed suns, then watch the motion - very cool.
- Projectile Motion & Orbits (Java Applet) by Fu-Kwun Hwang - be sure to try it!
Practice Quizzes

last update February 3, 2009 by JL Stanbrough