Ms. Brewster's Science Classes



Name: _____________________________

Date: ____________________ Period: ________

Gravity and Motion Simulator

|LT: I can use observations to justify how the gravitational force of an object can change. |

|Success Criteria: |

|Draw motion of planets, Moons and satellites. |

|Draw diagrams to show how gravity is the force that controls the motion of our solar system. |

|Identify the variables that affect the strength of the gravity. |

|Predict how motion would change if gravity was stronger or weaker. |

Part 1: Understanding motion

1) Open the Gravity and Orbits simulation. Take 3 minutes to explore how to use the simulator. What can you change? What can the simulator help you observe? Talk about what you find with your partner. CLASS DISCUSSION: What can you use the simulator for?

2) Compare the motion of the Earth moving around the Sun and the Moon moving around the Earth.

Remember when drawing diagrams use arrows to show the motion of objects, lines for the orbit and label your celestial bodies.

|Earth moves around the Sun |Moon moves around the Earth |

|Diagram |Diagram |

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|Your Description |Your Description |

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|Compare and Contrast these two motions |

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Part 2: Understanding Gravity

3) For the Sun and Earth system:

a. Draw the path of the Earth with Gravity ON and Gravity OFF

GRAVITY ON GRAVITY OFF

b. Explain why you think gravity is important to the motion of celestial bodies in our solar system. Justify your answer using evidence from the simulator.

4) Turn on the Gravity Force arrows. Explore the simulation to find out how you can change the force of gravity and observe what happens.

CLASS DISCUSSION: Share what you found with the class.

5) Draw the Sun’s gravitational pull on the Earth Draw the Earth’s gravitational pull on the Sun

CLASS DISCUSSION: Why do you think the Earth moves, but the Sun does not move? Justify your answer.

6) Observe your pictures in Questions 2 create a new diagram by using arrows to show the force of gravity. Use a larger arrow for the stronger gravity and smaller arrows for less gravity.

|Earth moves around the Sun Diagram |Moon moves around the Earth Diagram |

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7) Use the simulator to explore ways to change the length of the blue gravity force arrows. Collect your results in the table below.

a) Fill in an ACTION below and write whether or not the gravitational force increases or decreases. Create your own actions and fill in the effect it has on Gravity.

|ACTION |Gravity Force Increases |Gravity Force Decreases |

|Put star and planet closer together | | |

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b) Identify factors that can affect the strength of gravitational force. Justify your answer using evidence from the simulator.

8) Comparisons:

a) Compare these 2 cases, 1 the sun is much larger than the Earth and case 2 the sun is smaller than its normal size. Set up the simulator to look like the 2 cases below:

CASE 1 CASE 2

[pic] [pic]

What did you observe about Case 1 and Case 2?

Draw the force of gravity on the Earth in each case in the diagrams.

b) Compare these two cases. Make sure to set up the simulator like the two pictures below :

CASE 1 CASE 2

What did you observe between Case 1 and Case 2?

Draw the force of gravity on the Earth in each case in the diagrams above.

Part 3: Gravity and Motion

9) Fill in the table to help describe what you find out.

|How can you…. |Explain what you changed |Draw the motion paths |How did this change affect |

| | | |gravitational force? |

|...make the Moon | | | |

|go around the Earth in a | | | |

|bigger circle? | | | |

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|...make the Earth | | | |

|take more time to go around | | | |

|the Sun? | | | |

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|...make the Earth | | | |

|take less time to go around | | | |

|the Sun? | | | |

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10) Look back at your 1.2 notes on gravity and motion. How does this simulator prove the Law of Universal gravitation? Justify your answer.

11) Do all moons in our Solar System follow Newton’s 1st Law of Motion? Justify your answer.

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