Gravity and Orbits Simulation

Gravity and Orbits name:

Prior to answering any questions, play with all settings and adjustments for 2 minutes.

1. Reset, and press play and allow the Earth to complete one complete revolution. Two observations about the orbit:

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1. Repeat and turn the gravity button to off. What happens to the Earth?
2. Add the moon to the simulation (look at the picture).

Describe what happens to each body:

What does this indicate about the relationship between gravity and orbital paths?

Manipulations:

Sun and Earth:

Adjust the relative sizes of each body, as indicated in each question.

1.What happens to the velocity as you increase sun size?

2.What happens to the orbit if you set the Earth at the largest setting?

3.Keeping the earth at the largest, set the sun at the largest setting. What happens?

4.Play with the settings. Where do you have to have the Earth and Sun for the Earth to escape the sun’s gravity?

5.What does this tell you about the relationship between mass (size) and orbits?

Sun, Earth and Moon

Adjust the sizes of each body.

1. Increase the size of Earth. What happens to the moon?

2. What does this tell you about the relationship between mass and gravity?

3. In what scenario would we leave our orbit?

4. In what scenario would we lose our moon, but keep it in orbit around the sun?

5. In which scenario would we have a highly elliptical orbit?

6. In which scenario would we all crash and burn and die?

7. What does this indicate about the relationship between mass, gravity and the shape of orbits?

Earth and Moon

Adjust the sizes of each body.

1. Increase the size of the moon. What are two things you observe?
2. What happens as you (gradually) increase the size of the Earth? Two observations:

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1. Let the above scenario play for a few revolutions. What happened?

1. What does this indicate about the relationship between gravity, distance and velocity?

Earth and Satellite

Adjust the sizes of each body to answer each question.

1. If we had a larger Earth, what size satellite would we need?

1. Why could we not have the same size as now?

1. How does size relate to gravity?

1. Write an equation that expresses this.