Law of Universal Gravitation
The moon is staying in the vicinity of the Earth because the Earth is pulling it toward it. The reason the moon isn't crashing into the Earth is because the moon is also being pulled by other planets. The reason that the moon isn't going toward the other planets that are pulling it is because the moon is closer to the Earth. The closer an object in space is closer to an object with gravitational force, the stronger the force it. The Universe is the way it is because every object in the Universe exerts gravitational force on each other.
This is the formula to use to calculate the gravitational force between two objects.
F = Gravitational force between two objects G = Gravitational Constant M1 = Mass of first object in Kilograms M2 = Mass of second object in Kilograms r = Distance between two objects Source for pictures #1: http://web2.uwindsor.ca/courses/physics/high_schools/2006/Space_Exploration/gravity.html #2: http://www.regentsprep.org/regents/physics/phys01/unigrav/default.htm |
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Explore the Law of Universal Gravitation by explaining the role that gravity plays in the formation of planets, stars, and solar systems and in determining their motions. Also, explore the Law of Gravity by recognizing that every object exerts gravitational force on every other object and that the force depends on how much mass the objects have and how far apart they are. Summary of Standard: Understand the Law of Universal Gravitation and understand that the planets are in the place they are now because of gravity. Vocabulary Words Law of Universal Gravitation: Newton's law which states that any two bodies in the universe attract each other. Gravity: The force that attracts objects together. Solar System: A system of planets in which our sun is in the center of (There are many solar systems in the universe but this is ours) Mass: The amount of matter in any object. |