Grade 12 Physics: Exploring Gravity
This worksheet covers fundamental concepts of gravity at a Grade 12 physics level, including Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation, gravitational fields, and orbital mechanics.
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Grade 12 Physics: Exploring Gravity
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Read each question carefully and provide your best answer. Show all your work for calculation problems.
1. Which of the following statements accurately describes Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation?
Gravity only acts between objects in direct contact.
Gravitational force is directly proportional to the distance between masses.
Gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between masses.
The gravitational constant (G) varies depending on the masses involved.
2. An object orbiting a planet is continuously falling towards the planet but never hits it. This is because:
There is no gravity in space.
The object is moving fast enough horizontally to miss the planet.
The planet's atmosphere pushes the object away.
The gravitational force is balanced by an upward force.
3. The strength of a gravitational field is defined as the gravitational force per unit .
4. According to Kepler's Laws, planets move in orbits around the Sun.
5. The acceleration due to gravity (g) is constant for all objects on Earth's surface.
True
False
6. The gravitational force between two masses decreases proportionally to the square of the distance between their centers.
True
False
7. Calculate the gravitational force between two spheres, each with a mass of 100 kg, when their centers are 2 meters apart. (G = 6.67 × 10^-11 N m^2/kg^2)
8. Explain the concept of weightlessness experienced by astronauts in orbit. Is there truly no gravity in orbit?