Kepler's Laws and Gravity Flashcards
(19 cards)
Kepler’s First Law…
the orbit of a planet is an ellipse, with the sun at one foci
Foci…
points on an ellipse
Major Axis…
horizontal line on an ellipse(long way)
Minor Axis…
vertical line on an ellipse(up and down)
Eccentricity…
the measurement of how elongated an closed circle is(measured from 0-1)
How can eccentricity be used to classify circles/ellipses?
if the eccentricity is closer to 0, then it is more like a circle and if the eccentricity is closer to 1, it is more flattened
How can you calculate eccentricity?
Eccentricity=distance between two foci/length of the major axis
Kepler’s Second Law…
equal area in equal time
When does a planet’s speed increase?
when the planet is closer to its orbital star
When does a planet’s speed decrease?
when the planet is further away from its orbital star
Perihelion…
the point in a planets orbit where the planet is closest to the sun
Aphelion…
the point in a planets orbit where the planet is furthest from the sun
Kepler’s Third Law…
orbital periods are proportionate to the distance from the sun
Orbital Period…
the length of time it takes a planetary body to complete one orbit around the sun
Gravity…
everything is attracted to everything else
Is the gravitational pull stronger or weaker when an object is further away from another?
weaker
Is the gravitational pull stronger or weaker when an object is closer to another?
stronger
How does mass of an object affect gravitational pull?
If the object has a larger mass, its pull is stronger and if an object has a smaller mass, its pull is weaker.
Weight…
measure of the force of gravity pulling on an object
