3 min read•Last Updated on June 12, 2024
The law's power lies in its ability to predict orbits and calculate masses of celestial bodies. By observing how objects move in space, we can figure out the masses of planets, stars, and even entire galaxies. It's like cosmic detective work using math and motion.
Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation | Physics View original
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Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation | Physics View original
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13.1 Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation | University Physics Volume 1 View original
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Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation | Physics View original
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Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation | Physics View original
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Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation | Physics View original
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Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation | Physics View original
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13.1 Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation | University Physics Volume 1 View original
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Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation | Physics View original
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Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation | Physics View original
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$F = G \frac{m_1 m_2}{r^2}$ is the mathematical expression of Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation, which describes the gravitational force between two objects with masses $m_1$ and $m_2$ that are separated by a distance $r$. This fundamental equation governs the attraction between all objects with mass in the universe.
Term 1 of 47
$F = G \frac{m_1 m_2}{r^2}$ is the mathematical expression of Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation, which describes the gravitational force between two objects with masses $m_1$ and $m_2$ that are separated by a distance $r$. This fundamental equation governs the attraction between all objects with mass in the universe.
Term 1 of 47
Stars are massive, luminous celestial bodies composed primarily of hot plasma and held together by their own gravity. They are the most prominent objects in the night sky and play a crucial role in the structure and evolution of the universe.
Stellar Classification: A system used to categorize stars based on their spectral characteristics and surface temperature, with types ranging from hot, blue-white stars to cool, red stars.
Stellar Lifecycle: The series of stages a star goes through from its formation to its eventual death, including birth, main sequence, red giant, and supernova.
Gravitational Force: The attractive force between two objects with mass, as described by Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation.
Galaxies are vast, gravitationally bound systems of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter. They range in size from dwarfs with just a few hundred million stars to giants with one trillion stars, each orbiting its galaxy's center of mass. Galaxies are categorized according to their visual morphology as elliptical, spiral, or irregular. Many galaxies are thought to have supermassive black holes at their centers. The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our Solar System, and is just one of the hundreds of billions of galaxies in the observable universe.
Dark Matter: An unknown form of matter that cannot be seen directly but accounts for most of the matter in the universe. Dark matter interacts gravitationally with itself and with ordinary matter, and is a key component in the formation and evolution of galaxies.
Supermassive Black Hole: An extremely dense, massive black hole, with a mass ranging from millions to billions of times the mass of the Sun, that is believed to exist at the center of most galaxies, including the Milky Way.
Galactic Rotation Curve: A graph that shows the orbital speeds of stars and gas at various distances from the center of a galaxy. The observed rotation curves of galaxies provide evidence for the existence of dark matter.
Gravitational force is the attractive force that exists between any two objects with mass. It is the fundamental force responsible for the motion of celestial bodies and the formation of structures in the universe, from planets to galaxies.
Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation: The law that states that every particle in the universe attracts every other particle with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
Orbital Mechanics: The study of the motion of objects, such as planets and satellites, under the influence of gravitational forces.
Spacetime: The four-dimensional continuum of space and time in which all physical phenomena, including the gravitational force, are believed to take place.
Asteroids are irregularly shaped rocky objects that orbit the Sun, typically found in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. They are remnants of the formation of the solar system and provide valuable insights into the early history and composition of our planetary system.
Asteroid Belt: The region of the solar system between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter where a large number of asteroids are found, also known as the main asteroid belt.
Near-Earth Asteroids: Asteroids with orbits that bring them close to the Earth's orbit, potentially posing a threat of collision.
Meteoroids: Smaller rocky fragments that orbit the Sun, which can enter the Earth's atmosphere and become meteors or meteorites.
A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to travel and operate in outer space. It is a critical component in the exploration and utilization of space, enabling humans and robotic missions to study celestial bodies, conduct scientific experiments, and expand our understanding of the universe.
Rocket: A rocket is a type of spacecraft that uses the principle of thrust to propel itself through space, typically by burning fuel and expelling the exhaust at high speeds.
Satellite: A satellite is a spacecraft that orbits a planet or other celestial body, often used for communication, navigation, Earth observation, and scientific research.
Trajectory: The trajectory of a spacecraft is the path it follows through space, which is influenced by the gravitational forces acting on it and the propulsive forces generated by its engines.
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only known planet in the universe to harbor life. It is the largest and densest of the inner planets, with a diverse range of geological features, a dynamic atmosphere, and a unique position in the Solar System that has enabled the development of complex life forms.
Geosphere: The solid part of the Earth, including the crust, mantle, and core, which together form the planet's physical structure.
Hydrosphere: The collective mass of water found on, under, and above the surface of the Earth, including oceans, lakes, rivers, and groundwater.
Atmosphere: The layer of gases surrounding the Earth that is retained by the planet's gravity, providing the conditions for life to exist.
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite, a celestial body that orbits the planet and plays a crucial role in various astronomical and geological phenomena. It is a prominent feature in the night sky and has captivated humanity for millennia.
Tidal Forces: The gravitational pull exerted by the Moon and Sun that causes the rise and fall of ocean tides on Earth.
Lunar Phases: The different illuminated appearances of the Moon as it orbits the Earth, ranging from a full moon to a new moon.
Lunar Eclipses: An astronomical event where the Moon passes through the Earth's shadow, causing it to appear darker or reddish in color.
The gravitational constant, denoted as 'G', is a fundamental physical constant that describes the strength of the gravitational force between two objects. It is a crucial parameter in Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation, as well as in the study of the mass and center of the Milky Way galaxy.
Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation: The law that describes the gravitational force between any two objects in the universe, which is directly proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
Gravitational Force: The attractive force that exists between any two objects with mass, which is governed by the gravitational constant and the masses and distance between the objects.
Astronomical Unit (AU): A unit of length used to measure distances within the Solar System, defined as the average distance between the Earth and the Sun, approximately 150 million kilometers.
A universal constant is a fundamental physical quantity that has the same value throughout the universe, regardless of location or time. These constants are essential in describing the underlying laws and principles that govern the behavior of the physical world.
Gravitational Constant: The gravitational constant, denoted as 'G', is a universal constant that describes the strength of the gravitational force between two objects.
Speed of Light: The speed of light in a vacuum, denoted as 'c', is a universal constant that represents the maximum speed at which all energy, matter, and information in the universe can travel.
Planck Constant: The Planck constant, denoted as 'h', is a universal constant that represents the smallest possible change in a physical action or the smallest possible unit of energy.
A vector quantity is a physical quantity that has both magnitude (size) and direction. It is used to describe quantities that require more than just a single numerical value to be fully specified, such as displacement, velocity, acceleration, and force.
Scalar Quantity: A scalar quantity is a physical quantity that has only magnitude and no direction. Examples include mass, time, and temperature.
Displacement: Displacement is a vector quantity that represents the change in position of an object from one point to another, with both a magnitude and a direction.
Resultant: The resultant is the single vector that represents the combined effect of two or more vectors acting on an object.
Action at a distance refers to the ability of an object to exert a force on another object without any physical contact or intermediary medium between them. This concept is central to Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation, which describes how gravitational forces can act across vast distances in space.
Gravitational Force: The attractive force that exists between any two objects with mass, acting instantaneously across the distance between them.
Inverse Square Law: The principle that the strength of a force, such as gravity, decreases with the square of the distance between the two objects.
Superposition Principle: The idea that the gravitational force experienced by an object is the vector sum of the gravitational forces exerted by all other objects in the universe.
Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion. It is a fundamental property of matter that describes an object's resistance to acceleration or deceleration, and it is a key concept in understanding the laws of motion and the behavior of objects in the universe.
Newton's First Law of Motion: Also known as the law of inertia, this law states that an object at rest will remain at rest, and an object in motion will remain in motion, unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
Momentum: The product of an object's mass and its velocity, momentum is a measure of an object's resistance to changes in its motion due to inertia.
Centrifugal Force: The apparent force that draws an object outward when it is rotating, which is a result of the object's inertia resisting the change in direction.
Centripetal force is the force that causes an object to move in a curved path, directing the object towards the center of the curved trajectory. It is the force that provides the necessary acceleration to maintain a circular or curved motion.
Centrifugal Force: The apparent force that draws an object outward when it is moving in a curved path, perpendicular to the direction of motion.
Circular Motion: The motion of an object in a circular path, where the object's direction is constantly changing, but its speed remains constant.
Acceleration: The rate of change of an object's velocity, which can be either an increase or a decrease in speed, or a change in direction.
Kepler's laws are a set of three fundamental principles that describe the motion of planets around the Sun. Formulated by the 17th-century astronomer Johannes Kepler, these laws provide a mathematical framework for understanding the dynamics of the solar system and laid the groundwork for Newton's universal law of gravitation.
Elliptical Orbits: Kepler's first law states that the orbit of every planet is an ellipse with the Sun at one of the two foci.
Equal Areas in Equal Times: Kepler's second law states that a line joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of time.
Orbital Period: Kepler's third law states that the square of the orbital period of a planet is proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of its orbit.
An elliptical is a type of celestial object with an elongated, oval-shaped appearance. In the context of Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation, elliptical objects play a crucial role in understanding the motion and behavior of celestial bodies within a gravitational field.
Elliptical Galaxy: A type of galaxy with a smooth, elliptical shape, characterized by a lack of spiral arms and a uniform distribution of stars.
Elliptical Orbit: The path of a celestial body that follows an elliptical trajectory around a central object, such as a planet or the Sun.
Eccentricity: A measure of the elongation of an ellipse, with a value between 0 (a perfect circle) and 1 (a highly elongated ellipse).
The Sun is the star at the center of the solar system, providing light, heat, and energy that sustains life on Earth. As the closest star to our planet, the Sun's gravitational influence shapes the orbits of the planets and other objects in the solar system, and its nuclear fusion powers the processes that drive the evolution of the universe.
Solar System: The solar system consists of the Sun and all the objects that orbit around it, including planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and other small bodies.
Stellar Evolution: The process by which a star changes over the course of its lifetime, from birth to death, driven by the nuclear fusion reactions taking place in its core.
Gravitational Lensing: The bending of light by the gravitational field of a massive object, such as a star or galaxy, which can be used to study the properties of that object and the universe as a whole.
The orbital period is the time it takes for a celestial object to complete one full orbit around another object. It is commonly measured in Earth days, months, or years depending on the context of the objects involved.
Kepler's Third Law: This law relates the orbital period of a planet to its distance from the sun, stating that P² ∝ a³.
Semi-Major Axis: The longest diameter of an elliptical orbit, which directly influences an object's orbital period.
Celestial Mechanics: The branch of astronomy that deals with calculating motions such as orbits using principles like gravity and inertia.
The semi-major axis is a fundamental parameter that defines the size and shape of an elliptical orbit, such as the orbit of a planet around the Sun or a star around another star. It represents the average distance between the two objects in an elliptical system.
Eccentricity: The measure of how much an elliptical orbit deviates from a perfect circle, with a value between 0 (circle) and 1 (parabola).
Orbital Period: The time it takes for an object to complete one full revolution around another object in an elliptical orbit.
Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion: A set of three empirical laws that describe the motion of planets around the Sun in elliptical orbits.
Orbital velocity is the speed at which an object, such as a planet or satellite, travels in its orbit around another object, typically a larger body like a star or planet. This velocity is a critical factor in determining the stability and characteristics of an object's orbit.
Centripetal Force: The force that causes an object to move in a circular path, directed toward the center of the circle. This force is what keeps an orbiting object from flying off in a straight line.
Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion: A set of three empirical laws that describe the motion of planets around the Sun, which are used to calculate orbital velocities and other orbital parameters.
Escape Velocity: The minimum velocity an object must have to break free of a planet or other body's gravitational pull and leave its orbit.
Satellites are objects that orbit a larger body, such as a planet or a star, due to the force of gravity. They can be natural, like moons, or artificial, like the ones humans have launched into space to study the Earth, communicate, and explore the universe.
Orbital Mechanics: The study of the motion of objects, such as satellites, in orbit around other bodies due to the force of gravity.
Gravitational Acceleration: The acceleration experienced by an object due to the force of gravity, which determines the motion of satellites and other celestial bodies.
Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion: A set of three laws that describe the motion of planets and other objects, including satellites, in elliptical orbits around the Sun.
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and the smallest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is a terrestrial planet, meaning it has a solid surface, and is known for its dense composition, slow rotation, and extreme temperature variations.
Terrestrial Planet: A rocky planet that has a solid surface, as opposed to a gas giant planet.
Retrograde Rotation: A rotation in the opposite direction to the planet's orbit around the Sun.
Magnetosphere: The region around a planet where its magnetic field dominates and interacts with the solar wind.
Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a dense, blue atmosphere primarily composed of hydrogen and helium, and it is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the most distant major planet from the Sun.
Gas Giant: A gas giant is a large planet composed mainly of gas, such as hydrogen and helium, with a relatively small solid core. The gas giants in the Solar System are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Retrograde Rotation: Retrograde rotation is the opposite direction of rotation compared to the majority of other bodies in the Solar System. Neptune rotates in a retrograde direction, opposite to the direction of its revolution around the Sun.
Great Dark Spot: The Great Dark Spot was a large storm system in Neptune's southern hemisphere observed by Voyager 2 in 1989. It was similar to the Great Red Spot on Jupiter, but much smaller and shorter-lived.
Escape velocity is the minimum speed an object must reach to break free from the gravitational pull of a massive body without further propulsion. In astronomy, it's crucial for understanding phenomena like black holes where gravitational forces are extreme.
Event Horizon: The boundary surrounding a black hole beyond which nothing can escape.
Gravitational Constant (G): A fundamental constant used in calculating gravitational forces and interactions between masses.
Relativistic Effects: Phenomena that occur at velocities close to the speed of light or in strong gravitational fields, predicted by Einstein's theory of relativity.
The orbital period is the time it takes for a celestial object to complete one full orbit around another object. It is commonly measured in Earth days, months, or years depending on the context of the objects involved.
Kepler's Third Law: This law relates the orbital period of a planet to its distance from the sun, stating that P² ∝ a³.
Semi-Major Axis: The longest diameter of an elliptical orbit, which directly influences an object's orbital period.
Celestial Mechanics: The branch of astronomy that deals with calculating motions such as orbits using principles like gravity and inertia.
A moon is a natural satellite that orbits a planet. Moons can vary in size, composition, and geological activity.
planet: A celestial body orbiting a star, typically with sufficient mass to be rounded by its gravity but not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion.
ring system: Collections of dust, rock particles, and ice orbiting around planets like Saturn.
tidal heating: A process where gravitational forces from a larger body cause internal friction and heat within a smaller body.
A binary star is a system of two stars that orbit a common center of mass. These stars are gravitationally bound and revolve around each other, forming a single astronomical object that can be observed and studied as a unit.
Stellar Orbit: The path one star takes as it revolves around the common center of mass in a binary star system.
Gravitational Lensing: The bending of light from a distant source, such as a star, due to the gravitational field of a closer object, like a binary star system.
Eclipsing Binary: A type of binary star system where the stars periodically pass in front of one another, causing a decrease in the observed brightness of the system.
Acceleration due to gravity, often denoted as 'g', is the acceleration experienced by an object due to the Earth's gravitational pull. It is a fundamental concept in the study of mechanics and plays a crucial role in understanding the motion of objects near the Earth's surface.
Gravitational Force: The attractive force between two objects with mass, as described by Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation.
Free Fall: The motion of an object under the sole influence of gravity, with no other external forces acting upon it.
Newton's Second Law of Motion: The relationship between an object's acceleration, the net force acting on it, and its mass, expressed as $F = ma$.
Potential energy is the stored energy that an object possesses due to its position or state, which can be converted into kinetic energy or other forms of energy when the object is moved or changes its state. It is a fundamental concept in the study of physics, particularly in the context of Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation.
Kinetic Energy: The energy of motion possessed by an object, which is determined by its mass and velocity.
Gravitational Potential Energy: The potential energy an object has due to its position in a gravitational field, which is directly proportional to its mass and height above the ground.
Elastic Potential Energy: The potential energy stored in an object due to its deformation, such as a stretched or compressed spring.