CIRCULAR MOTION AND GRAVITATION
- Kinematics of Uniform Circular Motion
- Dynamics of Uniform Circular Motion
- Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation
- Gravity Near the Earth’s Surface
- Satellites and “Weightlessness”
- Kepler’s Laws
- Why do you stay in your seat on a roller coaster when it goes upside down in a vertical loop?
- How is the motion of a falling apple similar to that of the moon in orbit around the Earth?
- What conditions are necessary for a planet to obtain a circular orbit around its host star?
- How can Newton’s second law of motion be related to the universal law of gravitation?
- How can the motion of the center of mass of a system be altered?
AP Learning Objectives
BIG IDEA 1: Objects and systems have properties such as mass and charge. Systems may have internal structure.
1.C.3.1: The student is able to design a plan for collecting data to measure gravitational mass and to measure inertial mass and to distinguish between the two experiments. [SP 4.2]
BIG IDEA 2: Fields existing in space can be used to explain interactions.
2.B.1.1: The student is able to apply F=mg to calculate the gravitational force on an object with mass m in a gravitational field of strength g in the context of the effects of a net force on objects and systems. [SP 2.2, 7.2]
2.B.2.1: The student is able to apply g=GM/r2 to calculate the gravitational field due to an object with mass M, where the field is a vector directed toward the center of the object of mass M. [SP 2.2]
2.B.2.2: The student is able to approximate a numerical value of the gravitational field (g) near the surface of an object from its radius and mass relative to those of the Earth or other reference objects. [SP 2.2]
BIG IDEA 3: The interactions of an object with other objects can be described by forces.
3.A.2.1: The student is able to represent forces in diagrams or mathematically using appropriately labeled vectors with magnitude, direction, and units during the analysis of a situation. [SP 1.1]
3.A.3.1: The student is able to analyze a scenario and make claims (develop arguments, justify assertions) about the forces exerted on an object by other objects for different types of forces or components of forces. [SP 6.4, 7.2]
3.A.3.3: The student is able to describe a force as an interaction between two objects and identify both objects for any force. [SP 1.4]
3.A.4.1: The student is able to construct explanations of physical situations involving the interaction of bodies using Newton’s third law and the representation of action-reaction pairs of forces. [SP 1.4, 6.2]
3.A.4.2: The student is able to use Newton’s third law to make claims and predictions about the action-reaction pairs of forces when two objects interact. [SP 6.4, 7.2]
3.A.4.3: The student is able to analyze situations involving interactions among several objects by using free-body diagrams that include the application of Newton’s third law to identify forces. [SP 1.4]
3.B.1.2: The student is able to design a plan to collect and analyze data for motion (static, constant, or accelerating) from force measurements and carry out an analysis to determine the relationship between the net force and the vector sum of the individual forces. [SP 4.2, 5.1]
3.B.1.3: The student is able to reexpress a free-body diagram representation into a mathematical representation and solve the mathematical representation for the acceleration of the object. [SP 1.5, 2.2]
3.B.2.1: The student is able to create and use free-body diagrams to analyze physical situations to solve problems with motion qualitatively and quantitatively. [SP 1.1, 1.4, 2.2]
3.C.1.1: The student is able to use Newton’s law of gravitation to calculate the gravitational force the two objects exert on each other and use that force in contexts other than orbital motion. [SP 2.2]
3.C.1.2: The student is able to use Newton’s law of gravitation to calculate the gravitational force between two objects and use that force in contexts involving orbital motion [SP 2.2]
3.C.2.2: The student is able to connect the concepts of gravitational force and electric force to compare similarities and differences between the forces. [SP 7.2]
3.G.1.1: The student is able to articulate situations when the gravitational force is the dominant force and when the electromagnetic, weak, and strong forces can be ignored. [SP 7.1]
BIG IDEA 4: Interactions between systems can result in changes in those systems.
4.A.2.2: The student is able to evaluate using given data whether all the forces on a system or whether all the parts of a system have been identified. [SP 5.3]
BIG IDEA 1: Objects and systems have properties such as mass and charge. Systems may have internal structure.
1.C.3.1: The student is able to design a plan for collecting data to measure gravitational mass and to measure inertial mass and to distinguish between the two experiments. [SP 4.2]
BIG IDEA 2: Fields existing in space can be used to explain interactions.
2.B.1.1: The student is able to apply F=mg to calculate the gravitational force on an object with mass m in a gravitational field of strength g in the context of the effects of a net force on objects and systems. [SP 2.2, 7.2]
2.B.2.1: The student is able to apply g=GM/r2 to calculate the gravitational field due to an object with mass M, where the field is a vector directed toward the center of the object of mass M. [SP 2.2]
2.B.2.2: The student is able to approximate a numerical value of the gravitational field (g) near the surface of an object from its radius and mass relative to those of the Earth or other reference objects. [SP 2.2]
BIG IDEA 3: The interactions of an object with other objects can be described by forces.
3.A.2.1: The student is able to represent forces in diagrams or mathematically using appropriately labeled vectors with magnitude, direction, and units during the analysis of a situation. [SP 1.1]
3.A.3.1: The student is able to analyze a scenario and make claims (develop arguments, justify assertions) about the forces exerted on an object by other objects for different types of forces or components of forces. [SP 6.4, 7.2]
3.A.3.3: The student is able to describe a force as an interaction between two objects and identify both objects for any force. [SP 1.4]
3.A.4.1: The student is able to construct explanations of physical situations involving the interaction of bodies using Newton’s third law and the representation of action-reaction pairs of forces. [SP 1.4, 6.2]
3.A.4.2: The student is able to use Newton’s third law to make claims and predictions about the action-reaction pairs of forces when two objects interact. [SP 6.4, 7.2]
3.A.4.3: The student is able to analyze situations involving interactions among several objects by using free-body diagrams that include the application of Newton’s third law to identify forces. [SP 1.4]
3.B.1.2: The student is able to design a plan to collect and analyze data for motion (static, constant, or accelerating) from force measurements and carry out an analysis to determine the relationship between the net force and the vector sum of the individual forces. [SP 4.2, 5.1]
3.B.1.3: The student is able to reexpress a free-body diagram representation into a mathematical representation and solve the mathematical representation for the acceleration of the object. [SP 1.5, 2.2]
3.B.2.1: The student is able to create and use free-body diagrams to analyze physical situations to solve problems with motion qualitatively and quantitatively. [SP 1.1, 1.4, 2.2]
3.C.1.1: The student is able to use Newton’s law of gravitation to calculate the gravitational force the two objects exert on each other and use that force in contexts other than orbital motion. [SP 2.2]
3.C.1.2: The student is able to use Newton’s law of gravitation to calculate the gravitational force between two objects and use that force in contexts involving orbital motion [SP 2.2]
3.C.2.2: The student is able to connect the concepts of gravitational force and electric force to compare similarities and differences between the forces. [SP 7.2]
3.G.1.1: The student is able to articulate situations when the gravitational force is the dominant force and when the electromagnetic, weak, and strong forces can be ignored. [SP 7.1]
BIG IDEA 4: Interactions between systems can result in changes in those systems.
4.A.2.2: The student is able to evaluate using given data whether all the forces on a system or whether all the parts of a system have been identified. [SP 5.3]