UTeach Outreach The University of Texas at Austin

Gravity and Orbits – Scripted Version

Lesson created by: UTeach Outreach

Description of the class: 6th Grade
Length of lesson: 60 - 75 minutes
Resources Used:
http://www.gravityforthemasses.com/Page2.html
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/teachers/orbiting.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45317181/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/nasa-
budget-plan-saves-telescope-cuts-space-taxis/#.TzFltkqy0za
GRAIL Spacecraft: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/grail/launch/grail_gravity.html

TEKS Addressed:
Skills TEKS: 6.3A-D
6.3: Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student uses critical thinking, scientific
reasoning, and problem solving to make informed decisions and knows the contributions of
relevant scientists.
(A) in all fields of science, analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific explanations by using
empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing, including
examining all sides of scientific evidence of those scientific explanations, so as to encourage
critical thinking by the student. DC
(B) use models to represent aspects of the natural world such as a model of Earth’s layers.
(C) identify advantages and limitations of models such as size, scale, properties and materials.
(D) relate the impact of research on scientific thought and society, including the history of
science and contributions of scientists as related to the content. DC
Knowledge TEKS: 6.11B-C
6.11  Earth and space. The student understands the organization of our solar system and the
relationships among the various bodies that comprise it. The student is expected to:
(B)  understand that gravity is the force that governs the motion of our solar system; and
(C)  describe the history and future of space exploration, including the types of equipment and
transportation needed for space travel.
National Science Standards and Project 2061

I. Overview
The lesson begins with the teacher leading a demonstration of spinning two washers attached to a
string to show how planets that are closer to the sun revolve faster around the sun. The students are
introduced to the Question of the Day: “How does gravity affect the motion of the planets?” The
teacher leads a discussion on the contributions of Galileo and Newton to the study of gravity. Using
the Gravity and Orbits PhET simulation, students work in pairs to study how gravity affects the motion
of planets. By the end of the lesson, students will understand how the gravitational force between
two objects increases as the amount of mass involved increases and/or the planet moves closer to the
sun. In addition, the students will understand that certain limitations are involved with this
simulation. For example, the simulation is not in 3D, the planets are not shown to scale, and the
simulation is exhibiting a perfect system with no outside complexities affecting the orbits. As an
extension, students will calculate the weight of an object on different planets to demonstrate an
understanding of how the gravitational force on a planet contributes to an object’s weight. The lesson
concludes with the students discussing possible careers related to space exploration and the future of
our space programs.

II. Objectives:
1. Students will identify advantages and limitations of models of the solar system.
2. Students will learn about the role of gravity in the solar system and how it affects the way
planetary objects move in relation to each other.
3. Students will examine and judge scientific evidence and explanations using logical reasoning,
experimental and observational testing.
4. Students will give accounts of the impact of scientists’ contribution on current scientific
thought and society.

III. Resources, materials and supplies (per bin/student or teaching pair)

Engage:
 2 washers of equal size
 1 m of string
 1 piece of plastic pipe (with hole large enough to put string through)

Explore:
 1 computer per pair

Elaborate:
 1 calculator per pair

IV. Advanced Preparation

Engage:
 Attach one washer to a string. Pass string through a piece of pipe. Attach second washer to
end of string. See set up below.

Explore:
 Bookmark PhET simulation link for Gravity and Orbits
(http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/gravity-and-orbits) on student computers or visit
http://phet.colorado.edu/en/get-phet to see other ways to load the simulation on student
computers.

V. Supplementary worksheets, materials and handouts

 See attached

VI. Background information

College Level:
In everyday life, it may be sufficient to describe gravity as the force which causes objects to fall
towards the Earth. However, of all fundamental forces in physics, gravity is presently the least
understood. Compared to another fundamental force, for instance electromagnetism, gravity seems
much weaker. A tiny refrigerator magnet can pull more on a paperclip than the entire gravitational
pull of the Earth. Research is ongoing to discover the relationship between gravity and the other
natural forces, but at present it must be treated separately.
Measurements of the effects of gravity date back to Galileo Galilei's (1564 - 1642) measurements of
gravitational acceleration on Earth. Galileo found that the rate at which objects accelerate towards
Earth when dropped seems to be independent of their mass, barring effects such as air resistance.
This measurement spurred a revolution in the theory of gravity, ousting the concept that more
massive objects accelerate faster. The current model of gravity builds on this observation, indicating
that gravity is an effect of the presence of matter in our universe.
Isaac Newton's Universal Gravitation proposed in 1686 generalized the force of gravity beyond the
Earth. The orbits of planets and moons in our solar system had been described mathematically, but
there was no theory explaining what caused this motion. Based upon orbit data of Jupiter's moons,
Newton argued that there was an attractive force between the planet and orbiting bodies. He stated
that the force was proportional to the inverse square of the distance between each object, and that
the force was gravity.

where r is the distance between the centers of mass of the two objects. Newton proposed that the
complete equation for this force was

where m1 and m2 are the masses of the objects attracting each other and G is a constant, called the
universal gravitation constant.
The value of G has been empirically measured after Newton proposed the theory, but remains
difficult to measure precisely. Nevertheless, this equation satisfies the observations of Galileo and
contemporary scientists. The distance between the center of mass of an object and the center of
mass of the Earth is nearly constant throughout a falling path if the object is dropped near the surface
of the Earth. The distance between the centers of mass very closely approximates the radius of the
Earth.

Since the force of gravity is just a special case of Newton's Second Law of Motion ( ), the mass
of the object can be factored out and the remaining terms represent its acceleration.
Since the mass of the Earth is constant, G is constant, and the distance r is very nearly constant, the
acceleration is very nearly constant. This acceleration is also independent of the mass of the object
being dropped. As a result, the acceleration observed for objects with different mass when dropped
near the Earth are approximately the same constant acceleration, provided forces such as air
resistance are minimal. It should be noted that the value of the gravitational acceleration shown
above is not 9.81 meters per second squared. Since everyone rotates along with the Earth, we feel
the rotational acceleration as a centripetal force. The component of centripetal force which opposes
the gravitational acceleration changes the strength of the downward pull we call gravity.
When applied to the orbits of a planet around a star or a moon around a planet, the force of gravity is
similar to a string when twirling an object tied to the other end.

Planetary orbit modeled by mass on a string

The hand applies a force to the mass by pulling on the string.

Changing the direction of pull causes the mass to move in a
curved path, which may form the circular orbit shown.

The string keeps the hand and object relatively close. However, if the velocity of the object is great
enough, the person will not be able to hold onto the string and the string will start to slip through
their hand. Likewise, if the velocity of a satellite is great enough and pointed at an angle greater than
ninety degrees to the force of gravity, the distance between the central object and the satellite will
increase. If the velocity is too great, the acceleration due to gravity will be too small to keep a stable
orbit and the object will go off into space. Otherwise, gravity will eventually pull the two objects back
together and create an orbit. The shape of the orbit depends on the velocity of the satellite. In this
way, orbits due to gravity are elliptical rather than being strictly circular.
 Elliptical orbit due to angle between velocity vector (red) and gravity vector (blue)
Image from Gravity and Orbits PhET simulation

Following Newton's third law of motion, the force of gravity will pull both objects towards each other.
If one of the objects is much larger than the other, the larger object will accelerate less. This is the
case with the sun and the Earth. If the motions of both objects are plotted, the point about which
they both orbit is the center of mass between the two objects. In the case of the sun and the Earth,
the center of mass is located inside the sun, but not at the center of the sun. Orbits are often plotted
with the center of mass at the origin since any shared motion of the two objects can be simplified and
applied at the point. For instance, the Earth and sun also revolve about the Milky Way.
Elementary Level:
Gravity is a force everyone on Earth experiences constantly. It is easy to accept being pulled down to
the Earth and not pay any more attention to what causes this pull. However, gravity is what makes
many common technologies possible. For instance, satellites that provide communication, television,
and Global Positioning System (GPS) services would not exist without gravity. Perhaps more
importantly, the Earth would not orbit the sun, which provides the energy for life as we know it.
 Artist’s interpretation of a GPS satellite, courtesy of NASA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GPS_Satellite_NASA_art-iif.jpg

Gravity has been studied for over two thousand years, and scientists have improved the explanation
of how gravity works many times. The first measurement which supported the current description of
gravity came from Galileo Galilei (1564 – 1642), who noticed that objects accelerate downward at the
same rate regardless of their mass. What causes a difference in acceleration is other forces like air
resistance? Isaac Newton thought that the force of gravity could be described beyond Earth. Using
data from the movement of moons around Jupiter, Newton proposed an equation to calculate the
force of Gravity anywhere. He used this to explain the orbits of the planets around the sun and moons
around the planets. His work was published in 1687 and revolutionized physics.

Diagram of planetary orbits and objects in the solar system, original courtesy NASA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Oort_cloud_Sedna_orbit.svg
Gravity causes all objects with mass to be attracted to one another. The force increases as the
amount of mass involved increases, and decreases as the distance between objects increases. More
precisely, the force decreases as the distance between the centers of mass increases. Using the
centers of mass of objects to calculate the force of gravity is an approximation. It is a very good
approximation if the force of gravity is not likely to break the objects apart. Since gravity is much
weaker than the other fundamental forces, this is true for many situations.

VII. Possible Misconceptions (in bold) (correct science non-bold): Also denoted by “MC” within
lesson.
 Gravity exists only on Earth so there is no gravity in space. Gravity exists everywhere in the
universe. Students often think that there is no gravity in space because they have seen
astronauts appear weightless in movies and in pictures. The astronauts are not really
 weightless. They only appear so because the space shuttle and the astronauts inside of it are
in a constant state of free fall around the Earth.
 Gravity is selective and acts differently on some matter. Gravity is not selective; it doesn’t
have “feelings.” Gravity acts the same on everything. The strength of gravity varies (see
College Background).
 Planets far from the Sun have less gravity. This is not true. Gravity depends on the distance
between two objects AND the objects’ masses.
 Gravity can push and pull. Students are commonly taught that a force is a push or a pull.
Gravity is an attractive force only; it pulls objects together.
 Size and mass are the same. A planet’s size is how big it is in 3 dimensions. An object’ mass is
the amount of matter an object contains.

VIII. Vocabulary and Definitions:

College Level:
 Gravitational acceleration: the acceleration of a massive body due to gravity
 Gravity: a force that two objects exert on one another, proportional to the product of their
masses divided by the square of the distance between their centers of mass
 Gravitational constant: the constant of proportionality which arises from the calculation of
the gravitational force
 Center of mass: the average position of all the mass of an object or system of objects used to
approximate the position where a force is applied

Elementary Level:
 Matter (asunto): anything that has mass and takes up space
 Mass (masa): the amount of matter an object contains
 Gravity (gravedad): the force that pulls two objects towards each other
 Force (fuerza): something that causes an object to change its motion
 Orbit (órbita): the path by which an object revolves around another object due to gravity
 Satellite (satélite): any object that orbits another object

IX. Safety Considerations

 Be careful when spinning objects.
 Monitor students on computers to ensure they are not visiting inappropriate websites.

X. Question of the Day:

 How does gravity affect the motion of the planets?
 Five-E Organization

ENGAGEMENT Time: 3 minutes

What the Teacher Will Do Probing Questions Student Responses
Potential Misconceptions
Good afternoon class! I hold in
my hand a model of a planet.

Show the model of the

washers attached by a string.
Hold the system at one arm’s
length away from your body.

The washer attached to the

string represents a planet.

Keep the handle vertical while

rotating it in a circular motion.
Rotate it fast enough so that
the washer attached to the
string starts to revolve in a
circle.
1. Based on what I told 1. Revolving! [MC:
you, what is the planet rotating]
doing?

2. What could the string

represent? Why? 2. A Force because it is
pulling on the planet
Exactly! The string represents a (washer).
force, which pulls on the
planet. Refrain from discussing
gravity at this point. Focus on
the fact that the string
represents a force.

Pull one of the washers

towards you. The other
washer should begin to
revolve in a faster smaller
circle.
3. What happened to the
revolution path of the 3. It revolved in a smaller
planet? circle.
ENGAGEMENT Time: 3 minutes
What the Teacher Will Do Probing Questions Student Responses
Potential Misconceptions

4. What happened to the

planet’s revolving 4. It sped up.
speed?

That’s right. The washer, or

planet, was pulled closer
toward the center as the force
increased. When the force was
larger, the planet’s radius of
orbit decreased and the speed
increased. The radius is the
distance from the center of a
circle to the edge. If needed,
draw picture of a circle and
mark the radius on the board.
In this case, it is the length of
exposed string from the pipe to
the washer. Today we will be
exploring how planets orbit the
Sun and the force that controls
this motion.

EXPLORATION Time: 40 minutes

What the Teacher Will Say or Probing Questions Expected Student Responses /
Do Potential Misconceptions
To begin our lesson on forces
and motion, let’s briefly discuss
some history.

1. Where have you heard 1. He’s a scientist. He’s

of Galileo before? old. His study of the
planets.

Galileo Galilei was a

philosopher in the late 1500s
and early 1600s that
discovered the idea that
objects fall at the same rate
with little air resistance and
found that objects have a
constant acceleration due to
EXPLORATION Time: 40 minutes
What the Teacher Will Say or Probing Questions Expected Student Responses /
Do Potential Misconceptions
gravity on earth. Show image
of Galileo Gailei. However,
scientists thought that our
gravity was something unique
to earth. 2. If gravity was unique to 2. Gravity would be
earth, what would that different.
tell you about the
gravity on other
planets?
3. The string! Because it
3. In our demonstration, was pulling on the
what could have planet. [MC: the
represented gravity? washer]
Why?
Show demonstration again.
Exactly right! It is important to
remember that while a force is
a push or a pull, the force of
gravity is only a pull. It is an
attraction between two 4. The string. [MC: the
objects. 4. According to Galileo, if washer]
the washer represented
a different planet, what
would have to be
different about our
model?

Yes! Another scientist that has

played an important role in the 5. Newton’s laws! The
study of gravity is Sir Isaac 5. Where have you heard unit “Newton.”
Newton. of Sir Isaac Newton
before? What is he
famous for?

Sir Issac Newton was a

philosopher in the 1600s. He
developed an equation that
EXPLORATION Time: 40 minutes
What the Teacher Will Say or Probing Questions Expected Student Responses /
Do Potential Misconceptions
determined the force of gravity
everywhere in the universe. He
implied that gravity is a force
that behaves in similar ways
throughout the universe. Show
image of Sir Isaac Newton. In
order to describe gravity, he
realized he needed to describe
what forces are and how they
relate to the motion of objects.

Let’s see if we can use a

simulation to make
observations about how
gravity affects the motion of
planets.

Our question for investigation

today is, “How does gravity
affect the motion of the
planets?” Post Question of the
Day on the board.

Pass out the Gravity and

Orbits PhET Sheet and Job
Cards.

Today, we will be using a

simulator to explore gravity
and orbits. You will be working 6. Drive the car!
in pairs. One student will be
the Driver and the other will be 6. What does the driver of
the Navigator. a car do?

7. Give directions!
Just like a driver operates the
car, today our Drivers will 7. What does a navigator
control the computers. do?

Today, the Navigator will assist

EXPLORATION Time: 40 minutes
What the Teacher Will Say or Probing Questions Expected Student Responses /
Do Potential Misconceptions
the driver by providing
instructions. Also, your job card 8. Go to other websites,
have these instructions on the play with the camera.
back! 8. When using the
computers what should
we NOT do?

Right, today we will be

focusing only on the PhET
simulation. If you are off-task
you will receive one warning. If
you continue to be off-task
your computer will be taken
away. Enforce this rule!

Pass out computers. Instruct

students on how to get to the
simulation.

Take 5 minutes to explore the

simulator and figure out what
everything does. Then, as a
class, we will discuss what we
have found.

Walk around the room and

make sure students are not
having problems opening and
exploring the simulation.

After five minutes, have

several students share what
they have found.

I need everyone to put their

computers at half-mast or
acute angles as we discuss 9. It has different controls,
what we have discovered. Do you can change the size
not continue until all student 9. What have you of the Earth (planet),
computers are at half-mast. discovered about the Sun, etc.
simulation?
EXPLORATION Time: 40 minutes
What the Teacher Will Say or Probing Questions Expected Student Responses /
Do Potential Misconceptions

Those are all excellent

observations!

You are going to have about 30 10. It is elliptical [MC: Paths

minutes to complete your are circular.]
activity sheet. You may begin! 10. What do you notice
about the path of the
The following questions can be orbit? 11. Force of gravity
used to guide students either changes; the orbit
as a group or individually. 11. What do you notice changes; other various
when you change the answers.
sizes of the objects?
12. The path changed. An
ellipse.
12. Pause the simulation
and move the earth
from its normal position.
What do you observe?
What shape is the orbit?
13. The gravitational force
is so large that objects
13. Why do things crash? are pulled together so
they touch.

14. Force of gravity

changes; the orbit
14. What do you notice changes.
when you change the
distances of the objects? 15. Yes, change the size
and/or distances of the
15. Is it possible to change objects.
the time it takes for one
object to orbit another?
How? 16. We can observe the
change in motion.
16. If a force can’t be felt,
how do we know that it
is there?
EXPLANATION Time: 15 minutes
What the Teacher Will Do Probing Questions Student Responses
Potential Misconceptions
Let’s discuss our observations
from our simulation.

1. What observations did 1. It looked like an ellipse.

you make about the [MC: a circle]
path the Earth takes
around the Sun? Moon
around the Earth?
The Earth orbits the Sun in an
ellipse and the Moon orbits the
Earth in an ellipse. If students
struggle with this concept, 2. A path, something
select the show grid function 2. Talk among your group moving around
on the simulation and have
and decide how would something.
the students make
observations. you define the word
“orbit”?

3. What does the Moon 3. The Earth.

Give students two minutes to
discuss and then call on orbit around?
students to share.
4. What does the Earth
Scientists define the orbit of a 4. The Sun.
orbit around?
planet as the path that an
object takes around another.

Now, really the orbits of the

planets and moons are not as
perfect as we’re stating here –
we’re approximating. For
instance, the Moon is actually
EXPLANATION Time: 15 minutes
What the Teacher Will Do Probing Questions Student Responses
Potential Misconceptions
very slowly drifting away from
the Earth at a rate of 3.8 5. What did you notice
centimeters per year. The force when you turned gravity
of gravity between the Earth off in the simulation? 5. The Earth went off the
and Moon is in balance, but it’s screen. The Moon went
not enough to keep the Moon off the screen.
in orbit. From our perspective, 6. What does that tell you
it doesn’t seem to be moving about gravity?
away from the Earth since it’s 6. It keeps Moon/Earth in
moving so slowly. orbit.
7. Why is gravity important
to learn about?
7. It controls the motion
of everything!

8. What do you think the

gravity force arrows
represented? 8. The force of gravity!

Gravity is responsible for

keeping all planets in orbit. It
governs the motion of our solar
system. Without gravity, life as 9. What did you notice
we know it would not exist. about the size of the
“Gravity Force” arrows? 9. They were the same
size!

Excellent! There is actually a

gravitational force between all
objects. Use two classroom
objects as an example, 10. Which direction did the
explaining that the force
arrows point? What did
between them is very small
because they do not have that tell you? 10. The arrows pointed
much mass. Without the force towards each other.
of gravity, objects would not This shows a pull. [MC:
EXPLANATION Time: 15 minutes
What the Teacher Will Do Probing Questions Student Responses
Potential Misconceptions
remain in orbit. This is what a push]
you saw in your simulation. 11. Talk among your groups
and decide how would
you define gravity based
on your observations. 11. It’s a force between
things. [MC: a push]
For both the Earth orbiting the
Sun and the Moon orbiting the
Earth, the size of the arrows
were equal to one another.
There exists a balanced force,
because the force from the
Earth on the Sun and the force
from the Sun on the Earth are
12. How could you change
equal.
the time it took the
Earth to orbit the Sun?
12. Change its size,
distance from the Sun.

The arrows point towards each

other. This shows us that
13. Besides changing the
gravity is an attractive, pulling
force. time it took for the
planet to complete one
revolution, what else did
13. The gravity arrows
you notice?
changed size!

14. If the mass of either

Give students two minutes to object involved
discuss then call on a few increases, what happens
students to share. to the force of gravity?
14. The force of gravity
Scientists define gravity as the
force that pulls two objects increases.
15. What would happen if
towards each other. we decreased the mass
of the planet or the Sun?

15. The force of gravity

EXPLANATION Time: 15 minutes
What the Teacher Will Do Probing Questions Student Responses
Potential Misconceptions
16. What happens to the would decrease.
Yes, the size of a planet or the force of gravity if the
Sun and the distance between distance increases?
the Sun and the planet affect
the time it takes for the planet 16. The force of gravity
to orbit the Sun. decreases.

The size of the planet and its

distance from the Sun affect 17. How does gravity affect
the gravitational force the motion of the
between the two planets. This
planets?
was seen as an increase or
17. Gravity keeps the
decrease in the size of the
gravity arrows on the screen. planets in orbit. It
Gravity is universal, meaning varies in strength based
that it behaves the same on the size of the
everywhere. This is what Sir planet and its distance
Isaac Newton described. The from the Sun.
strength of gravity may change
18. What were some
but its properties remain the
limitations of our
same.
EXPLANATION Time: 15 minutes
What the Teacher Will Do Probing Questions Student Responses
Potential Misconceptions
simulation?
Let’s go back to our Question
of the Day: How does gravity
affect the motion of the
planets? Turn to your neighbor
and discuss!
18. You couldn’t select
Allow students five minutes to
discuss the question. If 19. What were some different planets. In the
students struggle, tell them advantages? scaled mode, you
they can use their PhET couldn’t see the objects
worksheet as evidence. easily (sometimes they
went behind the
controls).

19. You could see the path,

gravity force and
change the different
Excellent! We saw using the systems.
Gravity and Orbits PhET
simulation that gravity keeps 20. Besides using a
all of the planets in orbit. It computer simulation,
also varies in strength based what else could you use
on how far away the planet is to detect if gravity is
from the Sun and its mass. present?
Let’s discuss the advantages 20. Many different
and limitations of using the experiments, sending
PhET simulation.
satellites into space,
etc.

21. What changes would

you make to the
simulation to make it a
EXPLANATION Time: 15 minutes
What the Teacher Will Do Probing Questions Student Responses
Potential Misconceptions
better representation of
our solar system?
The simulation allowed us to 21. Have more planets.
explore how planets orbit the
Show multiple planets
Sun and how gravity changes
based on different variables, at a time.
such as, the mass of the Sun
and/or planet and the planet’s
distance from the Sun.

There are many different

experiments that scientists can
do to explore gravity. Many of
the current missions involve
sending probes into space to
orbit different celestial bodies,
such as, the Gravity Recovery
and Interior Laboratory mission
(GRAIL) which is mapping the
moon’s gravity. Show picture
of GRAIL mission. The GRAIL
mission measures the
differences in gravity across
the moon’s surface. Scientists
hope that this information will
help them understand how
other planets might have
formed.

Having preset conditions to

select would be helpful to study
 EXPLANATION Time: 15 minutes
What the Teacher Will Do Probing Questions Student Responses
Potential Misconceptions
the different planets.

ELABORATION Time: 5-10 minutes

What the Teacher Will Do Probing Questions Student Responses
Potential Misconceptions
Alright! Now that we’ve
learned about gravity and the
difference in gravity on each of
the planets. We’re going to do
a small exercise with weight.

Pose Question:
1. What does the fact that 1. Your weights vary
different planets have depending upon what
different gravitational planet we’re on.
pulls tell you about our
weights on different
planets?

You’re right! We don’t weigh

the same on Mars or any of the
planets as we do on Earth.

Now before we start this

exercise we must distinguish
between weight and mass.
Ask students question and help
them answer it. 2. What is the difference 2. Mass is how heavy
between weight and something is without
mass? gravity and weight is the
force created when a
mass is acted upon by a
gravitational field

Hand out worksheet.

I am passing out a worksheet

that has the conversion factors
for your weight on different
planets. You can use the
conversion factors to find out
how much we would weigh on
ELABORATION Time: 5-10 minutes
What the Teacher Will Do Probing Questions Student Responses
Potential Misconceptions
the different planets! Keep in
mind that this exercise assumes
that you could actually stand
on the surface of all these
planets. We’re only going to do
conversions for two of the
planets but you can work on
the others if you have time later
on your own.

Have the students choose two

planets they’d like to know
their weight for and fill out the
table and answer the
questions if they get done
early.

As an example, let’s discuss

what would happen to your
weight on Jupiter. 3. If you were on the surface 3. The larger mass of
of Jupiter, what would Jupiter.
cause your weight to
increase?

4. What state of matter is 4. Gas.

Jupiter mainly composed
of?

Because Jupiter is mainly a gas,

you couldn’t stand on its
surface. In fact, Jupiter’s gravity
at the surface would only cause
you to fall into the gas.
5. How does Jupiter’s size 5. It’s much larger.
(mass and diameter)
compare with the Earth’s
size?

That’s right! Jupiter has much

more mass than the Earth, but
it is also much larger in size.
This is the reason why the
gravitational force at the
ELABORATION Time: 5-10 minutes
What the Teacher Will Do Probing Questions Student Responses
Potential Misconceptions
surface is only about 2.5 times
the gravity here on Earth.

Although scientists have

discovered many properties
about the planets and the solar
system, there is still a lot to
learn about the solar system.
Who knows, you could be the
person to discover whether or
not there is life on Mars!

6. What kinds of jobs do you 6. Astronaut! Engineer!

think people interested in Scientist!
the solar system can do?

These are all really good

answers. If you’re interested in
space and the solar system, you
could go work for NASA or
other private companies and
become a chemical,
mechanical, electrical, or other
type of engineer. Remember
the types of engineers we told
you about when we were
testing balloon rockets? Well, if
you’re interested in space, you
could become one of those
things.

Unfortunately, NASA has

experienced sharp budget cuts
in the past few years. In fact,
after the end of the space
shuttle program in 2011, NASA
depends on Russia to fly
astronauts into space at the
7. Traveling to other
cost of over $50 million per 7. If you were in charge of
planets to see how life
person. NASA’s spending, what
would survive on those
would you focus on:
planets, etc.
traveling to other planets,
ELABORATION Time: 5-10 minutes
What the Teacher Will Do Probing Questions Student Responses
Potential Misconceptions
studying the stars and
different galaxies or
traveling to the moon?
Why?

Try to get students to say more

than “because it’s cool.”.

EVALUATION Time: 5 minutes

What the Teacher Will Say or Probing Questions Student Responses /
Do Potential Misconceptions
Alright, now we are going to
answer some questions to
showoff what you learned
today.
Pass out “Show Off What You
Know” worksheets.
 Question of the Day

How does
gravity affect
the motion
of the
planets?
Photo of Sir Isaac Newton. Source: http://www.newton.ac.uk/art/portrait.html
Photo of Galileo Source: http://www.nmm.ac.uk/mag/pages/mnuExplore/PaintingDetail.cfm?
ID=BHC2700
Photo of Gravity Interior and Interior Laboratory Source:
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/grail/missionoverview.cfm
 Name: _____________________________

Gravity and Orbits PhET

Part I: Orbits

a) Draw the path of the Earth orbiting the Sun.

b) Draw the path of the Moon orbiting the Earth.

c) Based on your observations, what similarities and differences can you observe about the motion of
the Earth (a) and the motion of the Moon (b)?

d) Based on your observations, how would you define the word “orbit”? Use (a) and (b) as your
evidence.

Part II: What holds the Earth in orbit around the Sun and the Moon in orbit around the Earth?
Explore the simulation to determine what keeps the Earth in orbit around the Sun and the Moon in
orbit around the Earth.
a) What do you think the gravity force arrows represent?

b) What do you notice about the size of the “Gravity Force” arrows?

d) In what direction do the arrows point? What do you think this means?
e) Based on your observations, how would you define the word “gravity”?

Part III: Gravitational Force between the Earth and the Sun
a) It takes 365 days for the Earth to complete one revolution around the Sun. Find three different
ways to change the number of days it takes for the Earth to complete one revolution around the Sun.
Method How many days did What did you do? What happened Observations
it take to complete to the
one revolution? gravitational
force arrows?

b) In a few sentences, what can you conclude about how the size of a planet and its distance from the
Sun affects its orbit?

Part IV: Gravitational Force between Different Planets and the Sun
a) Venus is called Earth’s “sister planet” because it is almost the same size (mass and diameter) as
Earth. Venus is closer to the Sun, what can you say about the following? (Circle the word you think is
correct)

 The Sun has a stronger/weaker gravitational pull on Venus than it does on Earth.
 Venus has a longer/shorter period of revolution around the Sun when compared to Earth’s
period of revolution around the Sun.

b) Jupiter is has a much larger mass than the Earth and is farther away from the Sun. What can you
say about the following?

 Jupiter has a longer/shorter period of revolution around the Sun when compared to Earth’s
period of revolution around the Sun.
 Name: _____________________
SHOW OFF WHAT YOU KNOW!

1. Gravity is a(n) _______ force that acts between two or more objects. Gravity exists
______ in the universe
a. repulsive, everywhere
b. attractive, in some places
c. repulsive, in some places
d. attractive, everywhere

2. As the distance between two masses decreases, the gravity force between them:
a. increases
b. decreases
c. remains constant

3. How did Galileo and Sir Isaac Newton differ in their views of gravity?
a. Galileo thought that gravity was unique to Earth, while Newton saw it as universal.
b. Galileo thought that gravity was a push, while Newton thought it was pull.
c. Galileo found that gravity affects objects with the same force, while Newton saw that
gravity depends on the mass of an object.
d. Galileo and Newton’s views did not differ.

4. Astronaut Luke Starkiller wants to Planet Conversion factor

travel to the far away galaxy. He weighs
250N (Newtons) on earth. The table to Earth × 1.00
the right shows the weight conversions
Yavin IV ×0.85
for earth and two planets in that galaxy.
In which planet will astronaut Starkiller Yavin II ×0.20
feel the heaviest?
a. Yavin IV
b. Yavin II
c. Both Yavin IV and Yavin II
d. Earth
 Name: _______________________

What’s your weight on other planets?

Due to the different gravitational pulls each planet has, you would weigh differently based on what
planet’s surface you are on. Assume you weigh 300 Newtons. A Newton is a unit for measuring
weight.
Planet Conversion
Mercury x 0.378
Venus x 0.905
Earth x1
Mars x 0.379
Jupiter x 2.529
Saturn x 1.066
Uranus x 0.903
Neptune x 1.096
Formula:
300 Newtons x conversion factor (see table above) = your weight on another planet

1) Planet 1: ___________________
a) Do you think you will weigh more or less on this planet? Why?

b) Calculate your weight on this planet.

Your weight =

2) Planet 2: ________________
a) Do you think you will weigh more or less on this planet? Why?

b) Calculate your weight on this planet.

 Name: ________KEY______________

Gravity and Orbits PhET

Part I: Orbits

a) Draw the path of the Earth orbiting the Sun.

It should be elliptical in shape, the simulation shows it a bit more

circular than in reality

b) Draw the path of the Moon orbiting the Earth.

Although in principle it should be elliptical, a circular path of the

moon around the earth is a sufficient first approximation

c) Based on your observations, what similarities and differences can you observe about the motion of
the Earth (a) and the motion of the Moon (b)?
Similar: Both revolve around bigger object, elliptical, shorter the distance the shorter the speed,
gravity force
Different: Moon's path is more circular and shorter radius of revolution, greater speed

d) Based on your observations, how would you define the word “orbit”? Use (a) and (b) as your
evidence.
It is the path followed by an object revolving around another. It can be elliptical or circular.

Part II: What holds the Earth in orbit around the Sun and the Moon in orbit around the Earth?
Explore the simulation to determine what keeps the Earth in orbit around the Sun and the Moon in
orbit around the Earth.
a) What do you think the gravity force arrows represent? The direction where the arrows point is the
direction of the pull and the length is the strength (i.e. longer arrow, greater force)

b) What do you notice about the size of the “Gravity Force” arrows relative to each other? As the
objects come to a closer distance, the arrows get longer

c) In what direction do the arrows point? What do you think this means? The direction of the gravity
force. That there is gravity force between two objects

d) Based on your observations, how would you define the word “gravity”?
It is a pull or force between two objects. It depends on the distance between the objects
Part III: Gravitational Force between the Earth and the Sun
a) It takes 365 days for the Earth to complete one revolution around the Sun. Find three different
ways to change the number of days it takes for the Earth to complete one revolution around the Sun.
Method How many days did What did you do? What happened Observations
it take to complete to the
one revolution? gravitational
force arrows?
It took less time Got longer The time it took for
1 Place the Earth one revolution went
closer from the Sun down
It took more time Make the velocity Started getting The path changed
2 arrow longer shorter (different orbit). Took
more time
It took less time Increase the size of Got longer Took less time for one
3 the sun revolution

(For opposite actions the effect on revolution time is also opposite)

b) In a few sentences, what can you conclude about how the size of a planet and its distance from the
Sun affects its orbit?
The shorter distance, means there is a smaller orbit. The larger the planet, the greater the gravity
force (longer arrow) but the orbit remains the same.
Part IV: Gravitational Force between Different Planets and the Sun
a) Venus is called Earth’s “sister planet” because it is almost the same size (mass and diameter) as
Earth. Venus is closer to the Sun, what can you say about the following? (Circle the word you think is
correct)

 The Sun has a stronger/weaker gravitational pull on Venus than it does on Earth.
 Venus has a longer/shorter period of revolution around the Sun when compared to Earth’s
period of revolution around the Sun.

b) Jupiter is has a much larger mass than the Earth and is farther away from the Sun. What can you
say about the following?

 Jupiter has a longer/shorter period of revolution around the Sun when compared to Earth’s
period of revolution around the Sun.
Answer Key for “What’s your weight on other planets?”

Planet Will you weigh Why? (Samples answers) Your calculated

more or less? weight.
Mercury Less Mercury is much smaller than the Earth. (300)(0.378) = 113.4
Venus Less Venus is smaller than the Earth. (300)(0.905) = 271.5
Earth Same This is our control factor. (300)(1.0) = 300.0
Mars Less Mars is smaller than the Earth. (300)(0.379) = 113.7
Jupiter More Jupiter is much larger than the Earth and (300)(2.529) = 758.7
thus has a larger gravitational force.
Saturn More Saturn is larger than the Earth. (300)(1.066) = 319.8
Uranus Less Uranus is less dense and much farther (300)(0.903) = 270.9
from the Sun.
Neptune More It is larger than the Earth. (300)(1.096) = 328.8

SHOW OFF WHAT YOU KNOW Answer Key:

1. D- attractive, everywhere

2. A- decreases

3. A - Galileo thought that gravity was unique to Earth, while Newton saw it as universal.

4. D- Earth