Date preformed: Sept 30th.- Oct 12th.

Lab 2- Payton Boroski Submitted: October 12th

1. Compare the size of the blue force arrow on Earth to the arrow on the Sun.
a. How do they compare?
b. What laws are being illustrated?

a. The arrows illustrating force acting on the Earth and on the Sun are equal in size.
b. The arrows being equal size (the force they represent) is showing Newton’s third law: for every
action/force, there is an equal and opposite reaction/force.

2a. Describe the shape of the orbit.

2b. Which of Kepler’s laws did this illustrate? (State the law – don’t simply give the number of the law.)
2c. Measure and record the time for one period of revolution. (You may have to practice stopping at “one
period” and you may want to slow the Sim speed down.)

2a. The orbit of the Earth around the Sun is an elliptical that is nearly a perfect circle.
2b. The shape of Earths orbit is illustrated by Keplers first law of planetary motion which states that
planets move in ellipticals around the sun.
2c. The time it takes for one period of revolution is 366 Earth days.

3a. Before hitting start, what changes do you notice?

• How does this illustrate the Law of Universal Gravitation?
3b. Hit start and carefully observe the orbit and determine and record the period.

3a. Before starting, I noticed the arrows that represent gravitational force from the Sun to the Earth
and the Earth to the Sun have significantly decreased in size.
This represents Newtons Law of Universal Gravitation because the law states particles attract
particles in the universe with a gravitational force that is proportional to the product of the masses
between them. Changing/decreasing the mass of The Earth will decrease the product of their
masses and their gravitational force on each other.
3b. Even with the decreased mass of the Earth, the orbit remained the same and the period of
revolution is still 366 Earth days.

4a. Before hitting start, what changes do you notice?

• How does this illustrate the Law of Universal Gravitation?
4b. Hit start and carefully observe the orbit and determine and record the period.
4c .What do you learn about orbits from parts 3 and 4?

4a. Before starting, I noticed the arrows that represent gravitational force from the Sun to the Earth and
the Earth to the Sun have significantly increased in size.
This represents Newtons Law of Universal Gravitation because the law states particles attract particles in
the universe with a gravitational force that is proportional to the product of the masses between them.
Changing/increasing the mass of The Earth will increase the product of their masses and their gravitational
force on each other.
4b. Similar with part 3b, while the Earths mass has increased, the orbit remained the same and the period
of revolution is still 366 Earth days.
4c. I learned that the Earths mass does not change the orbital path or it’s velocity. With increases and
decreases in gravitational force, the orbit remained the same elliptical shape and always finished its period
of revolution in 366 Earth days.
5a. Before hitting start, what changes do you notice?
• How does this illustrate the Law of Universal Gravitation?
5b. Hit start and carefully observe the orbit and determine and record the period.
5c. Carefully observe the speed (the length of the velocity arrow).
• Describe what you observe about the speed at different locations in the orbit.
• Which law did this illustrate? Explain.
5d. Carefully observe the force vector.
• Describe what you observe about the force at different locations in the orbit.
• Which law did this illustrate? Explain.

5a. Before starting, I noticed the arrows that represent gravitational force from the Sun to the Earth and the Earth to
the Sun have significantly increased in size.
This represents Newtons Law of Universal Gravitation because the law states particles attract particles in the universe
with a gravitational force that is proportional to the product of the masses between them. Changing/increasing the
mass of The Sun will increase the product of their masses and their gravitational force on each other.
5b. The Sun increased mass has affected the size and shape of the orbit. The period of revolution is 190 Earth days.
5c. The velocity arrow increases in size (the speed of the Earth on the orbit increases) as the Earth and its orbit gets
closer to the Sun, and decreases when it gets further away. This is explained by Keplers second and third laws which
state that a planet has a higher velocity when it is closer to the Sun (2nd) and decreased speed for when they are
further away (3rd).
5d. The force vector increases the closer Earth and its orbit get closer to the Sun and decreases back to its original
size as it gets further away from the Sun. This can be explained by the law of Universal Gravitation, as it states forces
acting on each other are proportional to their masses, and is inversely proportional to the square of the distance
between the objects. An increase in distance between the Sun and Earth will decrease their gravitational force, and a
decrease in distance between them will increase the gravitational force.

1.True/False?
explain your choice based on your observations in this activity:
Earth is accelerating.
2. Earth exerts a gravitational force on the Sun and the Sun exerts a gravitational force on Earth.
a. Which exerts the larger force? Explain your choice.
b. Which has the greater acceleration? Explain your choice.
3. Imagine another solar system with a star that has the same mass as the Sun. In this solar system there is a planet with a
mass twice that of Earth orbiting at a distance of 1 AU from the star.
a. How would the gravitational force between the star and planet compare with the force between the Sun and Earth?
b. How does the orbital period of that planet compare with that of Earth?
4. True/False?, explain your choice based on your observations in this activity:
Doubling the mass of the Sun would have no effect on the period of Earth’s orbit around the Sun.

1.True, Earths orbit is an elliptical so there are certain points where it is closer to the Sun. Based off Newtons law of universal
gravitation, when the Earth is slightly closer to the Sun, it will accelerate.
2.True, Newtons 3rd law states that every force has an equal and opposite force/reaction (the force in this case being
gravitational force exerted on each other).
a. They exert the same amount of force on each other based on Newtons law of universal gravitation and Newtons 3rd law
which states forces have an equal and opposite force/reaction.
b. The Earth Based on Newtons 2nd law which states Force= Mass x Acceleration. Since they exert the same amount of
gravitational force but the Sun has a greater mass than the Earth, the Earth must have a greater rate of acceleration to make
the product/force equal.
3a. If there was a solar system with a planet with a mass twice that of Earth but the same distance away from a star the same
mass of our Sun, it would increase the gravitational force due to Newtons law of universal gravitation (product of their masses
would increase).
b. The orbital period of a planet with a mass double that of Earth and the same distance away from a star the same mass of
our Sun would be the same orbital period of our Earth.
4. False, doubling the mass of the Sun will change the period of the orbit due to Keplers second and third laws which state
that a planet has a higher velocity when it is closer to the Sun (2nd) and decreased speed for when they are further away (3rd).
5. As a planet orbits the Sun in an ellipse:
a. At what point in the ellipse is the gravitational force on the planet the greatest? Based on the law of Universal
Gravitation, why would you expect this to be so?
b. At what point is the acceleration the greatest? Explain.
c. At what point is the velocity greatest, and least? Explain – which law does this follow?
6. Imagine another solar system with a star of the same mass as the Sun. Suppose there is a planet in that solar system
with a mass equal to that of Earth orbiting at a distance of 3 AU from the star.
a. Is the gravitational force the star exerts on this planet larger or smaller than the gravitational force of the Sun on Earth?
Explain.
b. By what MATHEMATICAL factor is the force increased or decreased?

5a. Based on the law of Universal Gravitation, gravitational force is greatest at the perihelion of the ellipse. This is because
the two objects are closest in distance at that point and the law states the gravitational force is inversely proportional to
the square of the distance between the objects.
b. The acceleration is also greatest the closer the orbit gets to the Sun due to Newtons 2nd law which states Force= mass
x acceleration. Due to Universal Gravitation- gravitational force is greatest as the orbit is closest to the Sun, and the
greatest the force, the greater acceleration needed (without change in mass).
c. Velocity is greatest at the perihelion and lowest at the aphelion. This is due to Keplers second and third laws which state
that a planet has a higher velocity when it is closer to the Sun (2nd) and decreased speed for when they are further away
(3rd).
6a. The gravitational force exerted on this planet is smaller than the force of the Sun on Earth because of the law of
Universal Gravitation which states gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the
objects. Therefore, an increase in distance between two objects will decrease their gravitational force.
b. The equation for universal gravitation is F= G (m1m2)/r2, instead of 1 r, it’s 3 r- so the gravitational force decreased by a
factor of 1/9.