Gravitation

1. Gravitation AP Physics C

2. Newton’s Law of Gravitation What causes YOU to be pulled down? THE EARTH….or more specifically…the EARTH’S MASS. Anything that has MASS has a gravitational pull towards it. What the proportionality above is saying is that for there to be a FORCE DUE TO GRAVITY on something there must be at least 2 masses involved, where one is larger than the other.

3. N.L.o.G. As you move AWAY from the earth, your DISTANCE increases and your FORCE DUE TO GRAVITY decrease. This is a special INVERSE relationship called an Inverse-Square. The “r” stands for SEPARATION DISTANCE and is the distance between the CENTERS OF MASS of the 2 objects. We us the symbol “r” as it symbolizes the radius. Gravitation is closely related to circular motion as you will discover later.

4. N.L.o.G – Putting it all together

5. Try this! Let’s set the 2 equations equal to each other since they BOTH represent your weight or force due to gravity SOLVE FOR g!

6. How did Newton figure this out? Newton knew that the force on a falling apple (due to Earth) is in direct proportion to the acceleration of that apple. He also knew that the force on the moon is in direct proportion to the acceleration of the moon, ALSO due to Earth Newton also surmised that that SAME force was inversely proportional to the distance from the center of Earth. The problem was that he wasn’t exactly sure what the exponent was.

7. How did Newton figure this out? Since both the acceleration and distance were set up as proportionalities with the force, he decided to set up a ratio. Newton knew that the acceleration of the apple was 9.8 and that the approximate distance was 4000 miles to the center of Earth. Newton also knew the distance and acceleration of the Moon as it orbits Earth centripetally. It was the outcome of this ratio that led him to the exponent of “2”. Therefore creating an inverse square relationship.

8. Newton’s Law of Gravitation (in more detail) To make the expression more mathematically acceptable we also look at this formula this way: The NEW "r" that you see is simply a unit vector like I,j, & k-hat. A unit vector, remember, tells you the direction the force is going. In this case it means that it is between the two bodies is RADIAL in nature. The NEGATIVE SIGN is meant to denote that a force produces "bound" orbits. It is only used when you are sure you need it relative to whatever reference frame you are using .....SO BE CAREFUL! It may be wise to use this expression to find magnitudes only.

9. N.L.o.G. • In summary, Newton’s law of universal gravitation states: • “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.”

10. Gravitational Force Due to a Distribution of Mass • The gravitational force exerted by a finite-size, spherically symmetric mass distribution on a particle outside the distribution is the same as if the entire mass of the distribution were concentrated at the center. • For example, the force exerted by the Earth on a particle of mass m near the surface of the Earth is Section 13.1

11. Quick Quiz • A planet has two moons of equal mass. Moon 1 is in a circular orbit of radius r. Moon 2 is in a circular orbit of radius 2r. What is the magnitude of the gravitational force exerted by the planet on Moon 2? • (a) 4 times as large as that on Moon 1. • (b) 2 times as large as that on Moon 1. • (c) Equal to that on Moon 1. • (d) ½ as large as that on Moon 1. • (e) ¼ as large as that on Moon 1.

12. Example What is the gravitational force between the earth and a 100 kg man standing on the earth's surface? 9.81 x 102 N Because the force near the surface of Earth is constant, we can define this force easier by realizing that this force of gravitation is in direct proportional to the man’s mass. A constant of proportionality must drive this relationship. We see that this constant is in fact the gravitational acceleration located near the Earth’s surface.

13. Example • Three 0.300 kg billiard balls are placed on a table at the corners of a right triangle. The sides of the triangles are of lengths a = 0.400 m, b = 0.300 m, and c = 0.500 m. calculate the gravitational force vector on the cue ball (designated m1) resulting from the other two balls as well as the magnitude and direction of this force.

14. Example How far from the earth's surface must an astronaut in space be if she is to feel a gravitational acceleration that is half what she would feel on the earth's surface? 2.64x106 m This value is four tenths the radius of Earth.

15. Quick Quiz • Superman stands on top of a very tall mountain and throws a baseball horizontally with a speed such that the baseball goes into a circular obit around the Earth. While the baseball is in orbit, what is the magnitude of the acceleration of the ball? • (a) It depends on how fast the baseball is thrown. • (b) It is zero because the ball does not fall to the ground. • (c) It is slightly less than 9.80 m/s2. • (d) It is equal to 9.80 m/s2.

16. Example • Using the known radius of the Earth and that g = 9.80 m/s2 at the Earth’s surface, find the average density of the Earth.

17. Digging a hole When you jump down and are at a radius “r” from the center, the portion of Earth that lies OUTSIDE a sphere a radius “r” does NOT produce a NET gravitational force on you! The portion that lies INSIDE the sphere does. This implies that as you fall the “sphere” changes in volume, mass, and density ( due to different types of rocks) r This tells us that your “weight” actually DECREASES as you approach the center of Earth from within the INSIDE of the sphere and that it behaves like Hook’s Law. YOU WILL OSCILLATE.

18. The Gravitational Field • A gravitational field exists at every point in space. • When a particle of mass m is placed at a point where the gravitational field is , the particle experiences a force. • The field exerts a force on the particle

19. The GF • The gravitational field is defined as • The gravitational field is the gravitational force experienced by a test particle placed at that point divided by the mass of the test particle. • The presence of the test particle is not necessary for the field to exist. • The source particle creates the field. • The field can be detected and its strength measured by placing a test particle in the field and noting the force exerted on it.

20. The GF • The gravitational field vectors point in the direction of the acceleration a particle would experience if placed in that field. • The magnitude is that of the freefall acceleration at that location. • Part B of the figure shows the gravitational field vectors in a small region near the Earth’s surface. • The vectors are uniform in both magnitude and direction.

21. The GF • The gravitational field describes the “effect” that any object has on the empty space around itself in terms of the force that would be present if a second object were somewhere in that space.

22. Example • The International Space Station operates at an altitude of 350 km. Plans for the final construction show that material of weight 4.22 x 106 N, measured at the Earth’s surface. Will have been lifted off the surface by various spacecraft during the construction process. What is the weight of the space station when in orbit?

23. Planetary Motion • Ptolemy… • Copernicus… • Kepler • 1571 – 1630 • German astronomer • Best known for developing laws of planetary motion • Based on the observations of Tycho Brahe

24. Kepler's Laws There are three laws that Johannes Kepler formulated when he was studying the heavens THE LAW OF ORBITS - "All planets move in elliptical orbits, with the Sun at one focus.” THE LAW OF AREAS - "A line that connects a planet to the sun sweeps out equal areas in the plane of the planet's orbit in equal times, that is, the rate dA/dt at which it sweeps out area A is constant.” THE LAW OF PERIODS - "The square of the period of any planet is proportional to the cube of the semi major axis of its orbit."

25. Notes About Ellipses • F1 and F2 are each a focus of the ellipse. • They are located a distance c from the center. • The sum of r1 and r2 remains constant. • The longest distance through the center is the major axis. • a is the semi-major axis. Section 13.3

26. Notes About Ellipses, cont • The shortest distance through the center is the minor axis. • b is the semi-minor axis. • The eccentricity of the ellipse is defined as e = c /a. • For a circle, e = 0 • The range of values of the eccentricity for ellipses is 0 < e < 1. • The higher the value of e, the longer and thinner the ellipse. Section 13.3

27. Orbital Eccentricity Examples • Mercury’s orbit has the highest eccentricity of any planet. • Comet Halley’s orbit has a much higher eccentricity. • e = 0.97 Section 13.3

28. Kepler’s 1st law – The Law of Orbits "All planets move in elliptical orbits, with the Sun at one focus.”

29. Notes About Ellipses, Planet Orbits • The Sun is at one focus. • It is not at the center of the ellipse. • Nothing is located at the other focus. • Aphelion is the point farthest away from the Sun. • The distance for aphelion is a + c. • For an orbit around the Earth, this point is called the apogee. • Perihelion is the point nearest the Sun. • The distance for perihelion is a – c. • For an orbit around the Earth, this point is called the perigee. Section 13.3

30. Kepler’s First Law • A circular orbit is a special case of the general elliptical orbits. • Is a direct result of the inverse square nature of the gravitational force. • Elliptical (and circular) orbits are allowed for bound objects. • A bound object repeatedly orbits the center. • An unbound object would pass by and not return. • These objects could have paths that are parabolas (e = 1) and hyperbolas (e > 1). Section 13.3

31. Kepler’s 2nd Law – The Law of Areas "A line that connects a planet to the sun sweeps out equal areas in the plane of the planet's orbit in equal times, that is, the rate dA/dt at which it sweeps out area A is constant.”

32. Kepler’s Second Law • Is a consequence of conservation of angular momentum for an isolated system. • Consider the planet as the system. • Model the Sun as massive enough compared to the planet’s mass that it is stationary. • The gravitational force exerted by the Sun on the planet is a central force. • The force produces no torque, so angular momentum is a constant. Section 13.3

33. Kepler’s Second Law, cont. • Geometrically, in a time dt, the radius vector r sweeps out the area dA, which is half the area of the parallelogram . • Its displacement is given by • Mathematically, we can say • The radius vector from the Sun to any planet sweeps out equal areas in equal times. • The law applies to any central force, whether inverse-square or not. Section 13.3

34. Kepler’s 3rd Law – The Law of Periods "The square of the period of any planet is proportional to the cube of the semi major axis of its orbit." Gravitational forces are centripetal, thus we can set them equal to each other! Since we are moving in a circle we can substitute the appropriate velocity formula! The expression in the RED circle derived by setting the centripetal force equal to the gravitational force is called ORBITAL SPEED. Using algebra, you can see that everything in the parenthesis is CONSTANT. Thus the proportionality holds true!

35. Kepler’s Third Law, cont. • This can be extended to an elliptical orbit. • Replace r with a. • Remember a is the semi-major axis. • Ks is independent of the mass of the planet, and so is valid for any planet. • If an object is orbiting another object, the value of K will depend on the object being orbited. • For example, for the Moon around the Earth, KSun is replaced with Kearth. Section 13.3

36. Example • Calculate the mass of the Sun, noting that the period of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun is 3.156 x 107 s, and its distance from the Sun is 1.496 x 1011 m.

37. Example Consider a satellite of mass m moving in a circular orbit around the Earth at a constant speed v and at an altitude h above the Earth’s surface as illustrated to the right. Determine the speed of the satellite in terms of G, h, RE, and ME. If the satellite is said to be geosynchronous ( that is , appearing to remain over a fixed position on the Earth), how fast is it moving through space?

38. Kinetic Energy in Orbit Using our ORBITAL SPEED derived from K.T.L and the formula for kinetic energy we can define the kinetic energy of an object in a bit more detail when it is in orbit around a body. The question is WHY? Why do we need a new equation for kinetic energy? Well, the answer is that greatly simplifies the math. If we use regular kinetic energy along with potential, we will need both the orbital velocity AND the orbital radius. In this case, we need only the orbital radius.