UNIVERSAL

GRAVITATION

BY :

Indah Cahaya Pramesti

Luluk Nur Farida

Newtons Law of Universal Gravitation

Newtons Law of Universal Gravitation

Sir Isaac Newton
(1642-1727)
The
Genius
who
found
Gravitation Law. He was struck
on the head by falling apple
while read a book. This alleged
accident supposedly prompoted
him to imagine that perhaps all
object in the universe were
attracted to each other in the
same
waythe
apple
was
attracted to the earth. Newton
analyzed the astronomical data
on the motion of the moon
around the earth.

In 1687 Newton published his work on the law of gravity in his

treatise Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy.
Newtonts law of universal gravitation states that :
Every particle in the universe attracts every other
particle with a force that is directly proportional to the
product of their masses and inversely proportional to
the square of the distance between them.
m 1 : mass 1
m 2 : mass 2
r : distance
where G is a constant called universal gravitational constant. Its
value in SI unit is :

G 6,673 x10

11

Nm / kg

Quick Quiz 13.1

The Moon remains in its orbit around the
Earth wather than falling because
a. It is outside of the of the gravitational
influence of the Earth
b. It is in balance with the gravitational
forces from the sun and other planets
c. The net force on the Moon is zero
d. None of these
e. All of these

Answer :
(d).None of these because The
gravitational force exerted by the
Earth on the Moon provides a net
force that causes the Moons
centripetal acceleration.

Quick Quiz 13.2

A planet has two moons of equal mass.
Moon 1 is in a circular orbit of radius r. Moon
2 is in a circular orbit of radius 2r. The
magnitude of the gravitational force exerted
by the planet on the moon 2 is
a. Four times as large as that on moon
b. Twice as large as that on moon
c. Equal to that on moon
d. Half as large as that on moon 1
e. One fourth as large as that on moon 1

Answer :
(e). One fourth as large as that on
moon 1 because the gravitational
force follows an inverse-square
behavior, so doubling the distance
causes the force to be one fourth as
large.

Measuring of Gravitational Constant

The universal gravitational constant G was measured in an
important experiment by Henry Cavendish (17311810) in 1798.
The Cavendish apparatus consists of two small spheres, each of
mass m, fixed to the ends of a light horizontal rod suspended by
a fine fiber or thin metal wire. When two large spheres, each of
mass M, are placed near the smaller ones, the attractive force
between smaller and larger spheres causes the rod to rotate and
twist the wire suspension to a new equilibrium orientation. The
angle of rotation is measured by the deflection of a light beam
reflected from a mirror attached to the vertical suspension. The
deflection of the light beam is an effective technique for
amplifying the motion. The experiment is carefully repeated with
different masses at various separations. In addition to providing a
value. for G, the results show experimentally that the force is
attractive, proportional to the product mM, and inversely
proportional to the square of the distance r.

Free Fall Acceleration and the

Gravitational Force
From Newtons law we have
equation :

M Em
Fg G 2
r

Subsituting with Fg mg
So :
M m
mg G E 2
RE
g G

ME
2
RE

Now consider if object of

mass m located a distance h
above the Earths surface or a
distance r from the Earths
center.

So r RE h .
is :
M Em

Fg G

r2

The equation

M Em
RE h 2

Then, subituting
Fg mg again with :
Where g is the value of free
fall acceleration at the altitude
h. So the last equation is :

GM E
GM E
g 2
2
r
RE h

Quick Quiz 13.3

Superman stands on top of a very tall mountain and
throws a baseball horizontally with a speed such
that the baseball goes into a circular orbit around
the Earth. While the baseball is in orbit, the
acceleration of the ball Four times as large as that
on moon
a. depends on how fast the baseball is thrown
b. is zero because the ball doesnt fall to the
ground
c. is slightly less than 9.80 m/s2
d. is equal to 9.80 m/s2.

Answer :
(c).is slightly less than 9.80 m/s2
because an object in orbit is simply
falling while it moves around the
Earth. The acceleration of the object
is that due to gravity. Because the
object was launched from a very tall
mountain, the value for g is slightly
less than that at the surface.

Keplers Law and the Motion of Planet

Keplers complete analysis of planetary
motion is summarized in three statements
known as Keplers laws:
All planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus.

1. Keplers First Law

Mayor axis : the The longest distance
perihelion through the center between points on the
ellipse (2a)
P
Semimajor axis : The distance a
Minor axis : the shortest distance through O
the center between points on the ellipse (2b)
Semiminor axis : The distance b
aphelion
F1 and F2 : focus , where F1 is Sun and P is planet theres nothing in F2
C : Central distance ellips (O) and Focus (F1 and F2), where C is number who
doesnt has dimension number. Its value range 0-1 its called eccentricity
Perihelion : The nearest point from the Sun
Aphelion : The Farest point from the Sun

So, Keplers first law is a direct result of the inverse

square of separation distance ( 12 )
r

These are the allowed object that are bound to the

gravitational force center. The object include planets,
asteroids, and comet that move repeatedly around
the sun, as well as moon orbiting planet.
There also be unbound objects, such as meteorids
from deep space that might pass by the sun once
and then never return.

1. Keplers Second Law

MP
r

MM

Always to central
object

r F r F (r )r 0
dL
L constant

0
dt
L r p m (r v ) ?

area with broom r from time dt

dA

dr vdt

r
MM
h

torque

dr

dA 12 rh
h dr sin

dA 12 rdr sin 12 r dr
12 r vdt
dA L
rv 2
dt m
dA L

= konstan
dt 2m

From time interval in same position r

wipe off the same area too

So, Keplers second law can be shown to be a

consequence of angular momentum conservation as
follows.
We can conclude that the radius vector from the Sun
to any planet sweeps out equal areas in equal times.

1. Keplers Third Law

We use Newtons second law for a particle in uniform circular motion
GM s M p M p v 2

r2
r
The orbital speed Mpv of the planet is 2r , so the equation become :

GM s (2 / T )

2
r
r

4 2 3
T (
)r K s r 3
GM s
2

Where Ks is a constant given by :

4 2
Ks
2.97 x10 19 s 2 / m 3
GM s
This equation is also valid for elliptical orbit if we replace r with the
length a of the semimajor axis :

4 2 3
T (
)a K s a 3
GM s
2

This table is a collection of useful planetary data. The

2
last column verifies that the ratioT is constant. The
small variation in the values in this
r 3 coloumn are due
to uncertainties in the data measured for the periods
and semimajor axes of the planet.

Quick Quiz 13.4

Pluto, the farthest planet from the Sun, has an
orbital period that is
a. greater than a year
b. less than a year
c. equal to a year.

Answer :
(a). greater than a year . Because Keplers
third law ,which applies to all the planets,
tells us that the period of a planet is
proportional to a3/2. Because Pluto is
farther from the Sun than the Earth, it has
a longer period. The Suns gravitational
field is much weaker at Pluto than it is at
the Earth. Thus, this planet experiences
much less centripetal acceleration than
the Earth does, and it has a
correspondingly longer period.

Quick Quiz 13.5

An asteroid is in a highly eccentric elliptical orbit
around the Sun. The period of the asteroids orbit is
90 days. Which of the following statements is true
about the possibility of a collision between this
asteroid and the Earth?
a. There is no possible danger of a collision
b. There is a possibility of a collision
c. There is not enough information to
determine whether there is danger of a
collision.

Answer :
(a). There is a possibility of a collision
because from Keplers third law and the
given period, the major axis of the
asteroid can be calculated. It is found to
be 1.2 # 1011 m. Because this is smaller
than the EarthSun distance, the asteroid
cannot possibly collide with the Earth.

Quick Quiz 13.6

A satellite moves in an elliptical orbit about the
Earth such that, at perigee and apogee positions,
its distances from the Earths center are
respectively D and 4D. The relationship between
the speeds at these two positions is
a. vp ! Va
b. vp ! 4va
c. va ! 4vp
d. vp ! 2va
e. va ! 2vp.

Answer :
(b). b. vp ! 4va because from conservation of
angular momentum, mvprp ! mvara, so
that vp ! (ra/rp)va ! (4D/D)va ! 4va.

The Gravitational Field

The gravitational field is when two or more particle
interact with another one when they were not in
contact with each other. Its caused by thr gravitational
field.
When a particle of mass m is placed at a point
where the gravitational field is g, the particle
experiences a force Fg = mg.
In other words :

Fg
g
m

As an example of how the field concept works,

consider an object of mass m near the Earths
surface. Because the gravitational force acting on the
object has a magnitude, the field at a distance r
from the center of the Earth is

Fg
g
m

GM E

r2

Where is a unit vector pointing radially outward

from the Earth and the negative sign indicates
that the field points toward the center of the
Earth, as illustrated in figure.

Gravitational Potential Energy

F
Gravitational energy : g
m
gB

Gravitational field :

F
GM
2 B r
m
r

Centrally force

F Always concern to O
dW F dr F ( r )dr
dr

F F (r )r

Force only depend on

first and last position

r2

W r F ( r )dr

r1

r2

U U f U i r F ( r )dr

r2

O
r1
RB

Energy which is experienced by mass m in

gravitational field g

F
r2 F

GM B m
r
r2

r2

r2

r1

dr
1

GM
m
U f U i GM B m
B
2
r
r r
1 1
U f U i GM B m

r
r
f
i

U (r)

GM B m
r

Gravitational potential energy m

of r position

Energy Considerations in Planetary and

Satelite Motion

Consider an object of mass m moving

with a speed v in the vicinity of a
massive object of mass M, where
. m
M
(Equation @) E K U
I
GMm
2
E mv
2
r

This equation shows that E may be

positive, negative, zero, depending on
the value of .v
We can easily establish that E 0
for
v
the system consisting
of an object of
mass m moving in a circular orbit about
an object of mass
M m

Newtons second law applied to the

object of mass m gives
GMm
mv 2
ma
2
r
r

Multiplying both sides by r and dividing

by 2 gives
1
GMm
mv 2
2
2r

Substituting this into Equation @,we

obtain
GMm
GMm

2r
r
GMm
E
2r
E

(circular orbits)

The expression for E for elliptical orbits

is the same as circular orbits with
replaced by the semimajor exis length

GMm
E
2a

we see that the both the total energy

and the total angular momentum of a
gravitationally bound, two-object system
are constant of the motion.

Quick Quiz 13.7

A comet moves in an elliptical orbit around the
Sun.Which point in its orbit (perihelion or aphelion)
represents the highest value of
(a) the speed of the comet
(b) the potential energy of the cometSun system
(c) The kinetic energy of the comet
(d) the total energy of the cometSun system?

Answer :
(a) Perihelion. Because of conservation of angular momentum,
the speed of the comet is highest at its closest
position to the Sun.
(b) Aphelion. The potential energy
of the cometSun system is highest when the comet is at
its farthest distance from the Sun.
(c) Perihelion. The kinetic
energy is highest at the point at which the speed of
the comet is highest.
(d) All points. The total energy of
the system is the same regardless of where the comet is in
its orbit.

Escape Speed
Suppose an object of mass m is projected
vertically upward from the Earths surface
with an initial speed
vi
We can use energy considerations to find the
minimum value of the initial speed needed to
allow the object to move infinitely far away
from the Earth.

At the surface of the Earth,

v vi

and

r ri RE

When the object reaches its maximum

altitude,v v f 0 and r rf rmax . Because
the total energy of the system is
constant. 12 mv GMR GMr m
solving for vi 2 gives
2

vi 2GM E (

max

1
1

)
RE rmax

Therefore, if the initial speed is known,

this expression can be used to
calculate the maximum altitude h
because we know that h rmax RE
We are now in a position to calculate
escape speed, which is the minimum
speed the object must have at the
Earths surface in order to approach
an infinite separation distance from
the Earth.

rmax

And taking vi vesc, we obtain

vesc

2GM E

RE

Note that this expression for vescis

independent of the mass of the
object.

Black Holes
An even more unusual star death may occur
when the core has a mass greater than about
three solar masses. The collapse may
continue until the star becomes a vey small
object in space, commonly reffered to as a
black hole.

Rs

Is called Schwarzschild radius

Although light from a black hole cannot escape, light from events
taking place near the black hole should be visible.
For example, it is possible for a binary star system to consist of
one normal star and one black hole. Material surrounding the
ordinary star can be pulled into the black hole, forming an
accretion disk around the black hole.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION