Gravitational Fields Flashcards
What do field lines represent?
The direction of acceleration. (the direction of the gravitational field strength)
Define the gravitational potential at a point.
At a point, the GP is the work done per unit mass to move a test mass from infinity to that point.
What are equipotentials?
Field lines whereby all points that fall on the same efl have the same gravitational potential.
What happens to the equipotentials as the distance increases? And why?
The space between equipotentials becomes more exaggerated.
As you go further away the field strength gets weaker, so less energy is required to move the mass per metre.
What is Newtons Law of Gravitation?
Two objects will exert an attractive force on one another that is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
