Gravitational Fields Flashcards
What is an equipotential?
A plane of points with equal gravitational potential
The work done travelling on an equipotential is zero.
Define geostationary orbit.
An orbit with a time period of one day that stays over one point on the earth’s surface
Geostationary orbits are directly above the equator and travel in the same direction as the earth’s rotation.
What is a gravitational field?
A region of space where objects with mass experience an attractive force due to gravity
How is gravitational field strength defined?
The gravitational force per unit mass acting on a mass at that point
It represents the acceleration due to the gravitational field.
What is gravitational potential?
The amount of work done in moving a unit mass from an infinite distance to a point
State Newton’s Law of Gravitation.
The force of gravity is proportional to the product of the masses involved and inversely proportional to the square of the separation of the masses
What is an equipotential surface?
A surface where there is no change in the GPE of an object when it ismoved from one place to another on this surface.
