gravitational fields

    Cards (23)

    • what is newtons law of gravitation
      the gravitational force between two point masses is proportional to the product of the masses and inversely proportional to the square of their separation
    • what must you make sure you do in an exam with the distance from the surface of a plant and its radius
      add them together
    • what is a gravitational field 

      A region of space where a test mass experiences a force due to the gravitational attraction of another mass
    • what does a large mass mean for the gravitational force
      a greater force is felt
    • what is gravitational field strength at a point 

      The force per unit mass experienced by a test mass at that point
    • an objects mass remains the same at all points in space
    • what factors effect the gravitational field strength at the surface of a planet
      the radius and the mass
    • the gravitational field strength is inversely proportional to the square of the radial distance
    • when is an object regarded as a point mass
      when it covers a very large distance compared to its size
    • what are radial fields considered
      non-uniform fields so the gravitational field strength is different depending on how far an object is from the centre of mass
    • what is gravitational potential at a point
      The work done per unit mass in bringing a test mass from infinity to a defined point
    • what value is the gravitational potential always
      negative
    • what does gravitational potential depend on
      the mass and distance from the centre of mass
    • why is the gravitational potential always negative
      the potential when r is at infinity is defined as zero
    • GPE = mg
    • force is inversely proportional to the r squared
    • what does the area under a force-distance graph equal to
      the energy transferred/ work done
    • what is the gravitational potential at a point defined as 

      The gravitational field at a particular point is equal to the negative gradient of a potential-distance graph at that point
    • what are equipotential lines
      lines that demonstrate that the gravitational potential in a gravitational field and are always drawn perpendicular to the field lines
    • what are equipotential lines always
      perpendicular to the field lines in both radial and uniform, dotted lines
    • what are equipotential lines like in a radial field
      concentric circles, further apart when further away from the planet
    • what are equipotential lines like in a uniform field
      horizontal, parallel, equally spaced
    • no work is done when moving along an equipotential line, only between equipotential lines
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