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Physics Paper 2 > Gravitational fields > Flashcards

Gravitational fields Flashcards

(50 cards)

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1
Q

2 basic principles of gravity

A

Acts on any objects with mass, always attractive

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2
Q

Relationship between magnitude of gravitational force between 2 objects and the product of the masses of them

A

Directly proportional

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3
Q

Relationship between magnitude of gravitational force between 2 objects and the square of the distance between the 2 centre of masses

A

Inversely proportional

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4
Q

What is magnitude of gravitational force between 2 objects directly proportional to

A

Product of masses

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5
Q

What is magnitude of gravitational force between 2 objects inversely proportional to

A

Square of distance of 2 centres of masses

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6
Q

F = (Gm1m2)/r^2 - what is G

A

Gravitational constant

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7
Q

F = (Gm1m2)/r^2 - what is m1 and m2

A

mass 1 and mass 2

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8
Q

F = (Gm1m2)/r^2 - what is r

A

Distance between centre of masses

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9
Q

F = (Gm1m2)/r^2 - what is F

A

Force

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10
Q

How many types of gravitational fields are there

A

2

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11
Q

What are the types of gravitational fields

A

Uniform, radial

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12
Q

Uniform field basic principle

A

Exerts same gravitational force on a mass everywhere in the field

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13
Q

Radial field basic principle

A

Gravitational force exerted depends on the position of the object in the field, further from centre means force decreases and vice versa

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14
Q

Why does the Earth’s gravitational field act uniform at the surface of the Earth

A

Area is so big that the lines appear in the same way as a uniform field (zoom in on a radial image and the lines look straight)

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15
Q

What is the gravitational field strength

A

Force per unit mass exerted by a gravitational field on an object

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16
Q

Gravitation field strength value in a uniform field vs radial

A

Constant in uniform, varies in radial

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17
Q

What is gravitational potential (V)

A

Work done per unit mass against gravitational force to move an object from infinity to a given point

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18
Q

What is the gravitational potential at infinity

A

0

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19
Q

Gravitational potential, negative or positive and why

A

Always negative, energy is released as gravitational potential is reduced

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20
Q

Gravitational potential formula for a radial field

A

V = - GM / r

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21
Q

V = - GM / r - what is G

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A

Gravitational constant

22
Q

V = - GM / r - what is M

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A

Mass of object causing the field

23
Q

Work done and gravitational potential difference formula

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A

Work done = mΔv

24
Q

Work done = mΔv - what is m

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A

Mass of the object moved

25
What are equipotential surfaces
Surfaces created by joining points of equal potential together so potention on an equipotential surface is constant everyone
26
How much work is done when moving along an equipotential surface
None because constant gravitation potential means no potential difference when moving along the surface
27
Relationship between gravitational potential and distance between centre of 2 objects
Inversely proportional
28
What is the gravitational potential inversely proportional to
Distance between 2 centre of masses
29
Graph of gravitation potential against distance
Y = V, X = r, Y axis below 0, exponential (r shape), gradient = -g, vertical asymptote is r = radus
30
How to measure gravitational field strength (g) on V-r graph
Negative gradient
31
How to find gravitational potential difference from a gravitational field strength against distance graph
Area under the curve between those 2 points
32
What is Kepler's 3rd law
Square of the orbital period (T) is directly proportional to the cube of the radius (r) T^2 = kr^3
33
Centripetal force formula
Centripetal force = mv^2 / r
34
What force acts as the centripetal force on an object orbiting a planet
Gravitational force
35
What is the total energy of an orbiting satellite
Kinetic energy + potential energy
36
What is the escape velocity of an object
Minimum velocity in order to escape gravitational field at the surface of a mass
37
What is an object's escape velocity equal to
Magnitude of its gravitational potential energy
38
Escape velocity formula
square root of (2GM / r)
39
How does the mass of an object effect the escape velocity
It doesn't
40
What is a synchronous orbit
Orbital period of satellite is equal to rotational period of the object that it is orbiting
41
Orbital period of a synchronous satelitte orbiting the Earth
24 hours
42
What are geostationary satellites
Follow geosynchronous orbit, orbital period is 24 hours, stay above same point on Earth as orbit directly above equator
43
What are geostationary satellites used for
Sending TV/phone signals
44
Why are geostationary satellites used for TV/phone signals
You don't have to alter plane of aerial or transmitter as always at the same point above the Earth
45
What is the orbital radius of a geostationary satellite
4.2x10^7
46
What are low-orbit satellites
Satellites with lower orbits than geostationary satellites
47
Speed and orbital periods of low-orbit satellites compared to geostationary satellites
Travel much faster, smaller orbital periods
48
Benefits of low-orbital satellites
Require less powerful transmitters and can potentially orbit across the entire Earth's surgace
49
What are low-orbit satellites used for
Monitoring the weather, making scientific observations about places which are unreachable, military applications
50
Low-orbit satellites as a use for communication
Good because they travel so quickly, many must work together to allow for constant coverage for a certain region

Physics Paper 2 (7 decks)

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