Chapter 13 Universal Gravitation – Flashcards

Newton's law of universal gravitation states that every object attracts every other object with a force that for any two object is directly proportional to the mass of each object.

The universal gravitational constant, G, in the equation for universal gravitation describes the strength of gravity.

When a quantity varies as the inverse square of its distance from its source, it follows an inverse-square law.

A Gravitational field occupies the space surrounding a massive body. A Gravitational field is an example of a force field,for any mass in the field space experiences a force.

Newton showed that the ocean tides are caused by differences in the gravitational pull of the moon on opposite sides of Earth.

Newton reasoned that the moon is falling toward Earth for the same reason an apple falls from a tree--they are both pulled by Earth's gravity.

The moon is actually falling toward Earth but has great enough tangential velocity to avoid hitting Earth.

Newton's theory of gravity confirmed the Copernican theory of the solar system.

Newton discovered that gravity is universal. Everything pulls on everything else in a way that involves only mass and distance.

Gravity decreases according to the inverse square law. The force of gravity weakens as the square of distance.

Earth ca be thought of as being surrounded by a gravitational field that interacts with objects and causes them to experience gravitational forces.

The gravitational field of Earth at its center is zero.

Pressure against Earth is the sensation we interpret as weight.

Newton showed that the ocean tides are caused by differences in the gravitational pull of the moon on opposite sides of Earth.

When a massive star collapses into a black hole, there is no change in the gravitational field at any point beyond the original radius of the star.

The formulation of the law of universal gravitation is one of the major reasons for the success in science that followed, for it provided hope that other phenomena of the world might also be described by equally simple and universal laws.