LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET

QUARTER 2 SEMESTER 1

Name: ________________________________________________ Score: _______

Grade & Section: __________________________ Subject: GENERALPHYSICS 1

Name of Teacher: _________________________________ Date: _____________

I. Title: Motion of Heavenly Bodies
II. Type of Activity: Concept notes with formative activities

LAS for summative assessment ( Written Work Performance Task)

III. MELC: Use Newton’s law of gravitation to infer gravitational force, weight, and
acceleration due to gravity (STEM_GP12G-IIb- 16). Discuss the physical
significance of gravitational field (STEM_GP12Red- IIb- 18). Apply the concept of
gravitational potential energy in physics problems (STEM_GP12Red- IIb- 19).
Calculate quantities related to planetary or satellite motion (STEM_GP12Red- IIb-
20).

IV. Learning Objective/s:

● State and solve Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation.
● Determine the escape velocity from a celestial body such as
earth.
● Appreciate the efforts of scientists in exploring the universe.

V. Reference/s:

Print Material/s

Esguerra, J.P.H. et al. 2018. General Physics I Learner’s Material First

Edition. Department of Education – BLR, Philippines. page 28-30.
Silverio, A. 2007. Exploring Life Through Science – Physics, page 189-192

Online Resource/s:

Boston University. Physics Semester 1. Accessed November 3, 2020 from

http://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/semester1/c17_field.html
Institute of Physics. 2020. Gravitational Fields. Accessed November 4, 2020
from https://spark.iop.org/collections/gravitational-fields#gref
The Physics Classroom. 2020. Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation.
Accessed November 1, 2020 from

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 www.physicsclassroom.com/class/circles/Lesson-3/Newton-s-Law-of-
Universal-Gravitation
VI. Concept Notes

A. Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation

Planets in the solar system including the earth rotate in

nearly circular orbits around the sun. This led Isaac
Newton to propose that the sun must be exerting a force
on the planets. That force is a part of universal attraction
called gravitation. Gravitation happens between all
bodies by virtue of their masses.
ALL objects attract each other with a force of
gravitational attraction. Gravity is universal. This force of Image from:
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AABEIAK8BIAMBEQACEQEDEQH

gravitational attraction is directly dependent upon the

masses of both objects and inversely proportional to the square of the distance that
separates their centers. Newton's conclusion about the magnitude of gravitational
forces is summarized mathematically as
m1 m2
F grav=G 2
r

where F grav represents the force of gravity between two objects, m1 and m2
represent the mass of objects 1 and 2, r represents the distance separating the
object’s centers, and G is the universal gravitational constant equal to
−11 m
6.674 × 10 N ∙ 2 .
kg

Sample Problem:
Determine the force of gravitational attraction between the earth (m = 5.98 x 10 24
kg) and a 70-kg physics student if the student is standing at sea level, a distance
of 6.38 x 10- m from earth's center.

The solution of the problem involves substituting known values of G (6.673 x 10 -11
N m2/kg2), m1 (5.98 x 1024 kg), m2 (70 kg) and d (6.38 x 106 m) into the universal
gravitation equation and solving for Fgrav. The solution is as follows:
−11 2 2 24
(6.67 ×10 N m /kg )∙(5.98× 10 kg)(70 kg)
F grav= =686 N
(6.38 ×106 m)2

B. Acceleration due to Gravity –The acceleration due to gravity at a particular

distance are from the center of a planet of mass M can be determined using
Newton's second law of motion and law of universal gravitation.

mM
F grav=G 2
=mg
r

M
g=G 2
=mg
r
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 At the surface of, g = 9.8 m/s2.

Sample Problem:
What is the value of the acceleration due to gravity g of an object at an altitude
equal to twice the radius of the Earth? (radius of the earth = 6.4x106 m)
Solution:
The distance from the center of the earth = (RE + 2RE) = 3RE. Hence,
M M
g=G 2 =G 2
r (3 R E )

( )[ ]
−11 2 24
10 Nm 6× 10 kg m m
¿ 6.67 × 2 2
=1.09 2
≈ 1.1 2
kg 9 ( 6.4 ×10 m )
6
s s

C. Earth’s Gravitational Field

When you pick up an object such as a pen, there is direct contact between you and
the pen. This direct contact exerts a force on the pen, causing it to move in the way
that it does. However, the pen also has a weight due to its presence in the Earth’s
gravitational field. How is this force exerted, even when there is no direct contact
between the Earth and the pen? A force is exerted on the pen from the Earth
because the pen is in the Earth’s gravitational field . We can define the field due to a
body as the region of space surrounding it where other bodies will feel a force due to
it.

We define field strength at a point in a body’s field as the gravitational force exerted
on an object placed at that point, per kg of the object’s mass. In other words, it is just
the number on newtons of attractive force acting per kg of the object’s mass. Since
the attractive force is simply what we call weight, we can write this as:

W
g=
m
Where W is the weight in newtons. Thus g has units of N/kg.

We can use this definition to get an equation for g using Newton’s law of universal
gravitation. The attractive force of a mass M (causing the field) on a mass m a
GMm
distance r away is simply 2 . Thus the attractive force per kg of mass of the
r
GMm GMm
object (mass m) is 2 . Thus
g= 2 . This gives an expression for the field
r r
strength at a point distance r from a (point or spherical) mass M.

We can draw a field-line pattern to reflect that, near the Earth's surface, the field is
uniform. The strength of a field is reflected by the density of field lines - a uniform
field has equally-spaced field lines.

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 At the surface Far Away
If we zoom out and view the Earth from far away, we get a non-uniform pattern. In
fact, the pattern is radial - the lines are further apart as they get further from the
Earth, reflecting the fact that g decreases with distance. At every point, though, the
field-line pattern shows the direction of the gravitational force that would be
experienced by a mass placed at that point

D. Gravitational Potential Energy (UG)

In general gravitational potential energy is defined as the

work needed to move an object from an initial position to
a final position. from the previous lessons we can save
there the ground as the reference of gravitational
potential energy four bodies near the earth’s surface.
However, in outer space where objects are very far from
the earth surface we consider Infinity as our reference
point for zero potential energy. negative work is done to
The graph of GPE vs distance from the
bring an object closer to earth. Thus, when using Infinity center of the earth
as a reference point, gravitational potential energy is
always negative.

−GMm −GMm
U G =W =−Fr= 2
r= 2
r r

E. Escape Velocity

Escape velocity (ve) from an astronomical body is defined to be the minimum velocity
of an object in mass have to escape the gravitational field without ever falling back. It
can be calculated by equating a mission kinetic energy of a moving body to the work
necessary to overcome the gravity at the surface after the astronomical body,
neglecting friction. In symbols,
KE=W

1 2 GMm
m ve = 2
2 r

The distance r is equal to the radius R of the astronomical body with mass M. solving
for the escape velocity
v e=
√ 2 GM
R

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 GMm
Recall that g= 2 . Thus we rewrite the equation as
r
v e= √ 2 gR

Sample Problem:
What is the escape speed from planet Earth given that the mass of Earth is 6x10 24
kg and its radius is 6.4x106 m?

Solution:
v e= √ 2 gR= √ 2( 9.8 m/s 2)(6.4 × 106 m)=1.12 ×10 4 m/s=11.2km/ s
F. Satellite Motion

A satellite is any object that orbits a planet or a star. Satellites may be natural or
artificial. the moon that orbits the earth is a natural satellite. the International Space
Station is an artificial satellite.

The orbit of a satellite is nearly circular. centripetal force is needed to keep this
satellite moving in a circle. this centripetal force is provided by the force of attraction
between the satellite and the planet it orbits.

m
=m ω r . But ω= 2 π , where T is the period. Therefore,
2
Recall that F C = 2
v T
2
4π Mm
F C =m 2 r=G 2 , solving for T,
T r

√
T =2 πr
r
GM

Where M is the mass of the body about which the satellite orbits, r is the radius of
the orbit, and G is the gravitational constant.

Sample Problem:
What should be the altitude of a satellite synchronous with Earth?
Solution:

√ √
−11
2
3 GM T 3 (6.67 ×10 N m2 /kg 2)(6 ×10 24 kg)(86 400 s)2
r= 2 2
=4.2 ×107 m
4π 4π

Thus, the satellite is at an altitude of 4.3x107 m.

YOU CAN DO THIS!

Task 1. Thinking Proportionally About Newton’s Equation. Complete the table

below by which summarizes the proportionalities of Newton’s Universal Law of
Gravitation. Items number 1 and 5 have been filled up for you as an example.

Mass of Object 1 Mass of Object Distance Gravitational Force

(m1) 2 (r) (Fgrav)
(m2)
1 M M d F

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 2 M 2M d
3 2M 2F d
4 M 3M d
5 M M 2d ¼F
6 M M ½d
7 3M 2M 3d

Task 2. The Universality of Gravity. Complete the table below by solving the value
of the force of gravity on each of the following scenarios.

Gravitational
Mass of Object 1 Mass of Object 2 Distance Force
(kg) (kg) (m) (N)
1 Football player Earth 6.38x106 m
24
=100 kg ¿ 5.98 ×10 kg (on surface)
2 Physics Student Physics Student
=70 kg =70 1m
3 Physics Student Earth 6.60x106 m
24
=70 kg ¿ 5.98 ×10 kg (low height orbit)
4 Physics Student Moon 1.71x106 m
=70 kg 22
¿ 7.34 ×10 kg (on surface)
5 Physics Student Jupiter 6.98x107 m
=70 kg 27
¿ 1.901 ×10 kg (on surface)

Task 3. Universal Law of Gravitation Conceptual Problems. Using the concept of

Universal Law of Gravitation, briefly and concisely answer the following questions.

1. Suppose that two objects attract each other with a gravitational force of 16
units. If the distance between the two objects is doubled, what is the new
force of attraction between the two objects?
2. A star ages, it is believed to undergo a variety of changes. One of the last phases of
a star's life is to gravitationally collapse into a black hole. What will happen to the
orbit of the planets of the solar system if our star (the Sun shrinks into a black hole)?
(And of course, this assumes that the planets are unaffected by prior stages of the
Sun's evolving stages.)
3. Having recently completed her first Physics course, Dawn Well has devised a new
business plan based on her teacher's Physics for Better Living theme. Dawn learned
that objects weigh different amounts at different distances from Earth's center. Her
plan involves buying gold by the weight at one altitude and then selling it at another
altitude at the same price per weight. Should Dawn buy at a high altitude and sell at a
low altitude or vice versa?

YOU CAN DO MORE!

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Task 4. Acceleration due to gravity Problems. Using the concept of acceleration
due to gravity, solve the problems below.

1. An object is dropped, with no initial velocity, above the surface of planet Big
Alpha and falls 13.5 meters in 3 seconds. The radius of planet Big Alpha is
5.82×106 meters. (a) What is the acceleration of the falling object? (b) what is
the mass of the planet Big Alpha?
2. An object is dropped, with no initial velocity, near the surface of planet Manta
reaches a speed of 21 meters/seconds in 3.0 seconds. Planet Manta has a
mass of 2.3 × 1023 kg. (a) what is the acceleration of the object? (b) what is
the radius of planet Manta?

3. The force of gravity that acts on an object on the surface of Mars is 20 N. What force
of gravity will act on the same object on the surface of the Earth? (use gravitational
field strength g = 9.8 N/Kg on the surface of the Earth). The mass of Mars is
6.39x1023 kg and its radius is 3.39x106 m.

Task 5. Gravity False. Spot which characters from Gravity Falls have false
statements about gravity and provide a logical explanation why you think so.

1. Every object sets up a gravitational field around itself due to its

mass. When two objects enter each other’s gravitational fields,
they will be attracted towards each other. Hence, a
gravitational field is a region of space in which any object that
lies in it experiences a gravitational force towards the object that
creates the field, due to its mass.
Mabel
2.

The three illustrations depict the gravitational field at various

Dipper distances from the earth; A is for parallel field lines which are
near the earth’s surface, B is for field lines getting further apart
as the distance from the earth increases, and C is a radial field
viewed from even a greater distance.
3. The gravitational field near the Earth’s surface is non-uniform.
This explains why objects of different masses experiences
varying forces of gravity (i.e. an object with larger mass
experiences greater gravitational force compared to an object
with lesser mass from the equation F=mg). Hence, a region of
space where mass is not present experiences zero gravitational
Wendy
field.

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 4. The gravitational field lines are not real and don’t exist. These
lines are used to visualize the concept of gravity and a way of
illustrating the acceleration of any object with respect to its
location. The strength of the field represents how close the lines
are to one another. This simply means that regions that are
farther from the surface of the earth like in the International
Stanley
Space Station (ISS) experiences weaker gravitational field
strength.
5. The force of gravity is an attractive force. For constant
gravitational field, the direction is upward, away from the center
of the planet. For the gravitational field which exists around any
object, the direction is away from the center of mass of that
Waddles object.

Task 6. Satellite Motion. Using the concept of satellite motion solve the following
problems:

1. Ganymede is one of the moons of Jupiter. Ganymede’s period of revolution

around Jupiter is 7.16 days and an orbital of radius of about 1.07x10 9m. Find
the mass of Jupiter.

2. One of Saturn's moons is named Mimas. The mean orbital distance of Mimas
is 1.87 x 108 m. The mean orbital period of Mimas is approximately 23 hours
(82800 s). Use this information to estimate a mass for the planet Saturn.

3. Mercury travels around the sun with a mean orbital radius of 5.8x10 10m. The
mass of the sun is 1.99x10 30 kg. How many earth days does it take for
mercury to orbit the sun?

CHALLENGE YOURSELF!
Task 7. Escape Velocity. Compute for the escape velocity of the following planets:

1. Mars: mass = 6.46x1023 kg; radius 3.39x106 m

2. Mercury: mass = 3.35x1023 kg; radius 2.44x106 m
3. Venus: mass = 4.90x1024 kg; radius 6.06x106 m

Task 8. Gravitational Potential Energy. Answer the questions below using the
concept of Universal Potential Energy.

1. How much energy is required to lift the 9000-kg Soyuz vehicle from Earth’s surface to
the height of the ISS, 400 km above the surface?
2. Why can’t we just use the simpler expression U =mg h? How significant would the
error be?

Task 9. Conceptual Questions. Answer the following questions concisely and

completely.

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 1. Is it better to launch ship from near far away the equator?
2. why is mass important in Launching space missions?
3. why is it difficult to plan inter-planet missions?
LEVEL UP!
Task 10. Gravity and Orbits. Access the PhET Simulation, Gravity and Orbits
through the link provided below. Use the simulation to answer the questions.

URL: https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/gravity-and-orbits

1. If our sun were twice as massive, how might the earth movement change?
a. The earth would definitely crash into the sun.
b. The path would be smaller.
c. The path would not change.

2. How would gravity forces change if the Sun got much bigger?
a. Increase
b. Stay the same
c. Decrease

3. How would gravity forces change if the Earth got much smaller?
a. Increase
b. Stay the same
c. Decrease

4. How would gravity force change if the earth and sun were moved far apart?
a. Increase
b. Stay the same
c. Decrease

5. Which of the following pictures would illustrate the motion of the Earth if you
“turn off” the gravity force?

A. C.

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 B. D.

Task 11. 5-Sentence Paper. Using 5 sentences, the question below.

What is the significance of studying the motion of heavenly bodies?

Task 12. The Search Bar. Research about the topic presented below in order to
answer the questions that follow.
Research Topic: Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion.

1. State Kepler’s Three Laws.

2. What are the shapes and important properties planetary orbits?
3. How does the speed of a planet vary as it orbits the sun?
4. How does the period of a planet’s orbit depend on its distance from the sun?

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VII. Notes to Teachers:
Scoring Rubrics for Task 5, 8, 9, 11, and 12

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