Gravitational Fields Flashcards
What is the definition of gravitational field strength?
Gravitational force exerted per unit mass on a small object placed at that point within the field
What does Newton’s law of gravitation state?
Force is directly proportional to the product of the masses and inversely proportional to the square of their seperation
What is Kepler’s first law?
The orbit of a planet is an ellipse with the Sun at one of tow foci
What is Kepler’s second law?
A line segment joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of time
What is Kepler’s third law?
The square of the orbital period T of a planet is directly proportional to the cube of its average distance r from the sun
What are three features of a geostationary orbit?
Orbit above the Earth’s equator
Rotate in the same direction as the Earth’s rotation
Have an orbital period of 24 hours
What is the definition of gravitational potential?
The gravitational potential at a point in a gravitational field is defined as the work done per unit mass to move an object to that point from infinity
What is the definition of gravitational potential energy?
The gravitational potential energy of any object object with mass m within a gravitational field is defined as the work done to move the mass from infinity to a point in a gravitational field.
