Saturday, November 23, 2013

Universal Gravitation


Physics Students,

This week we will begin our Unit on Universal Gravitation. In this unit you will learn about Kepler's three laws of planetary motion and how to apply Newton's law of gravitational motion.  This unit covers the TEKS requirements stated as:
 The student knows the nature of forces in the physical world. The student is expected to:
(A)  research and describe the historical development of the concepts of gravitational force
(B)  describe and calculate how the magnitude of the gravitational force between two objects depends on their masses and the distance between their centers.


Here are some activities to help you expand your knowledge on Universal Gravitation.


Activity 1
 In this activity you will visit physicsclassroom.com to read a tutorial on Universal Gravitation and do some activities dealing with practice problems. You will also find tutorials on Kepler's Laws and links to Flickr pictures on Gravity!  All you need to do is click on the student extras in the top right hand of the page.

Activity 2
Our second activity is for you to use in helping you solve those pesky homework problems that I insist on giving you.  The Universal Gravitation Phet Lab will help you check your answers and make sure that you are properly applying the equations. This lab will help you find the answers to "why everyone in this class is attracted to everyone else." Go to the site and click run now to start the simulation.  Then put the numbers in for your problem and click start to check your answers.

Activity 3
Here are a few videos to further explain the concepts of Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation and Kepler's laws.
  • Universal Gravitation
    This video is by the Brightstorm channel on youtube.com and is very helpful in explaining how to work problems using Newton's equation.
  • Kepler's laws  This video explains the history behind Kepler's laws and defines each law. 

Welcome to Phillips on Physics!

Welcome students,

Thank you for reading Phillips on Physics.  My name is Mrs. Tara Phillips and I teach Chemistry, Physics, and 7th grade Science at Booker High/Jr. High in Booker, Texas. I hope this edublog helps you master our physics content!

This edublog is for all Juniors and Seniors who are taking my physics class.  It is meant to further assist you with the topics that we are currently discussing in the classroom lessons by providing  more practice and example problems with links to tutorials, activities, and simulations.

Let's get started!  Be sure to check in regularly for updated links to current activities.

Mrs. Phillips