Gravity
Newton’s law of universal gravitation.
Issac Newton was sent home from university because of the out break of the bubonic plague, he used this time very productively.
It is in the Autumn of 1866 that the story told of the apple falling on his head.
He realised that there was a force acting between 2 bodies that had mass, he called this acceleration, gravity.
He determined that gravity would be proportional to the masses of the objects and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the objects.
where G is a constant = 6.67 x 10-11 Nm2kg-2.
While the idea of masses being attracted to other masses is commonly refered to as gravity if you are answering a question about something that causes motion / acceleration it is only correct to call this 'gravitational force', gravity will not suffice.
Variation of g, and hence W, with distance from centre of Earth (effect of centripetal acceleration not required).
where F = ma implies that we could determine the acceleration due to gravity if we knew details about earth
find the mass of earth 5.97 x 1024 kg
the radius to sea level, (6.378x106m).
the radius to the highest place (8850m)
the radius to the deepest part of the ocean (8581m)
thus find a value of g at each point
where would g be greater at the equator or the north pole ?
what radius would you guess ireland would have?
So by looking at the equation, we can change the force if we change the mass of the planet, or our distance from the centre of gravity of the planet we are on.
Changing mass
Increase in mass → Increase in Force
increasing the radius!
Increase in Distance (from the CoG) → Decrease in Force
Appropriate calculations
http://www.5min.com/Video/Learn-about-a-Planets-Gravity-117538032
Two identical lead spheres of radius R and mass M are touching and attract each other with a gravitational force F. These spheres are replaced with two other spheres made of the same material (lead) but each having a radius 3R.
How does the gravitational force between the new pair compare to the gravitational force between the first pair?
Give an answer such as 2F, except correct!
from Physics is Awesome, facebook page
Compare gravitational forces
between Earth and Sun and
between Earth and Moon.
http://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/distance.html
examine the force of gravity on a person on earth when a moon is at is closest and furthest from earth,
The data here shows the proof that we get 2 tides per day and explains why, if you can infer it .....
http://tbone.biol.sc.edu/tide/tideshow.cgi
the worlds biggest tides are here, and this is the fun you can have on them
Solar system.
Value of acceleration due to gravity on other bodies in space, on different planets.
Pick or be assigned a planet from the list
e.g. Moon.
earth to moon data here http://www.freemars.org/jeff/planets/Luna/Luna.htm
the dropping ruler reflex experiment, ties into gravity, how fast you react can be measured by where you grip the ruler.
“Weightlessness” and artificial gravity.
w= mg
Circular satellite orbits –
derivation of the relationship
between the period, the mass of the central body and the radius of the orbit.
Appropriate calculations
Satellites and communications.
Presence of atmosphere.