SHS

General Physics 1
Quarter 2: Week 2
Module 2: Newton’s Law of Gravitation
General Physics 1
Grade 12 Quarter 2: Week 2- Module 2: Newton’s Law of Gravitation
First Edition, 2020

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La Union Schools Division
Region I

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General Physics 1
Quarter 2: Week 2
Module 2: Newton’s Law of
Gravitation
 Target

In this module you will learn the basic law that governs gravitational
interactions. This law is universal: Gravity acts in the same fundamental way
between the earth and your body, between the sun and a planet, and between a
planet and one of its moons. We’ll apply the law of gravitation to phenomena such
as the variation of weight with altitude, the orbits of satellites around the earth, and
the orbits of planets around the sun.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. Use Newton’s law of gravitation to infer gravitational force, weight, and
acceleration due to gravity (STEM_GP12G-IIb16)
2. Discuss the physical significance of gravitational field (STEM_GP12RedIIb-
18).
3. Apply the concept of gravitational potential energy in physics problems
(STEM_GP12RedIIb- 19)
4. Calculate quantities related to planetary or satellite motion
(STEM_GP12RedIIb- 20).
Sub-Task:
1. State and explain the Universal Law of Gravitation to understand gravitational
force, weight, and acceleration due to gravity.
2. Define gravitational field and state its relationship to gravitational forces.
3. Discuss the concept of gravitational potential energy.
4. Explain why satellites remain in orbits.
5. Solve problems involving gravitational force, weight, acceleration due to
gravity, gravitational field, gravitational potential energy, and escape velocity.

Enjoy, read and explore the mysteries of Gravitation!

 Jumpstart

The earliest investigations on the concept of gravitation started with queries

that people asked about the night sky. Why doesn’t the moon fall to earth? Why do
the planets move across the sky? Why doesn’t the earth fly off into space rather
than remaining in orbit around the sun? The questions that were raised can be
answered by studying gravitation concept. Gravitation is one of the four classes of
interactions found in nature, and it was the earliest of the four to be studied
extensively. Through this concept, astronomers acquired knowledge on how to put
a satellite into any desired orbit around the earth or to choose just the right
trajectory to send a spacecraft to another plane.

For you to understand the lesson well, do the following activities.

Have fun and good luck!

Direction: Read and analyze carefully the given questions. Write your answer on a
separate sheet of paper.

Activity 1: Experiment Time!

Materials:
• 1 Styrofoam cup (bigger size) with two holes punched near the bottom
• I basin or plastic waste container

Procedure:
1. Let one family member stand on a sturdy chair while holding the Styrofoam
cup in his arms stretched overhead. This cup is filled with water so that while
holding the cup he has to press his fingers against the holes to stop the water
flowing out. He is now ready to drop the cup.
2. Now, do the following. Make a prediction, observation, and explanation.
a. What will happen to the water as the cup falls?
b. What did you observe as the cup is falling?
c. Why draining water acted as it did?
Activity 2: Mind Opener on Gravitation

READ THIS!
The law of universal gravitation allows you to calculate the gravitational force
between two objects from their masses and the distance between them. The law
includes a value called the gravitational constant, or “G.” This value is the same
everywhere in the universe. Calculating the force between small objects like
grapefruits or huge objects like planets, moons, and stars is possible using this law.

What is the law of universal gravitation?

The force between two masses m1 and m2 that are separated by a distance r
is given by:

Direction: Using the law of universal gravitation formula, solve the following
problems. Write your answers using scientific notation.

1. Calculate the force between two objects that have masses of 70 kilograms and
2,000 kilograms separated by a distance of 1 meter.

2. Calculate the force between two touching grapefruits each with a radius of 0.08
meters and a mass of 0.45 kilograms.

3. Calculate the force between one grapefruit as described above and Earth. Earth
has a mass of 5.9742 u 1024 kg and a radius of 6.3710 u 106 meters. Assume the
grapefruit is resting on Earth’s surface

Activity 3: Power of Reasoning

Direction: Analyze the situation below, then answer the given question.
Two friends are having a conversation. Anna says a satellite in orbit is in
freefall because the satellite keeps falling toward Earth. Tom says a satellite in orbit
is not in freefall because the acceleration due to gravity is not 9.80 m/s 2. Who do
you agree with and why?
 Discover

Lesson 1: Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation

Do you think a falling apple and the orbit

of the moon have the same principle? Yes, each
is caused by the gravitational force. Our feet are
strained by supporting our weigh, the force of
Earth’s gravity on us. From an apple tree, its
fruits fall because of the same force acting above
Earth’s surface. And the Moon orbits Earth
because gravity is able to provide the necessary
centripetal force at a distance of hundreds of
millions of meters and galaxies to cluster
together. Gravity is a force that acts at a
distance, without to
According physical contact.
Sir Isaac Newton, the sun has Fig. 1
gravitational force that keeps the planets in their orbits.
This will show a universal interaction known as gravitation. Your weight is an example
of gravitational attraction, this is a force that attracts you toward the earth. The body’s
weight is the total gravitational force applied on the body by all other bodies in the
universe. The weight w of a body is the force that causes the acceleration g of free fall,
so by Newton’s second law, w= mg.

From the study of Newton on the motions of the planets around the sun, he found
out the fundamental character of the gravitational attraction between any two bodies.
Because of this discovery, Newton published the law of gravitation in 1687 which
states that:

“Every particle of matter in the universe attracts every

other particle with a force that is directly proportional to
the product of the masses of the particles and inversely
proportional to the square of the distance between
them”

Fig. 2
Transforming this into a mathematical equation, we have:

Equation 1
where Fg is the magnitude of the gravitational force on either particle, m1 and m2 are
their masses, r is the distance between them, and G is the gravitational constant. The
numerical value of G that was determined by Henry Cavendish using a torsion balance
is:

Our planet is a spherically symmetric body with radius RE and mass mE the
weight w of a small body of mass m at the earth’s surface (a distance RE from its
center) is:

Equation 2

If w=mg, equating this with Equation 2, and dividing by m, we find :

Equation 3

The g is the acceleration due to gravity and was estimated due to the law of
universal gravitation.

Lesson 2: Gravitational Field

The gravitational field is the gravitational force per unit mass. To explain that
a massive body stretch out into the space around itself, generating a force on another
massive body, a model of a gravitational field was used. Due to earth’s gravitational field,
a body with mass experienced a force. A gravitational force equivalent to 9.8 N is
exerted on each kilogram of mass, so the gravitational field strength of the earth is 9.8
N/kg which is equivalent to 9.8 m/s 2.Basically, the gravitational field can be
𝐹
mathematically expressed as: g=
𝑚
where :
g = gravitational field
F = gravitational force
m= mass of the particle
Lesson 3: Gravitational Potential Energy

Recalling, module 18, where gravitational potential energy was introduced, it was
assumed that the force of gravity of an object is constant in magnitude and direction.
This led to the expression, U=mgy.

However, the earth’s gravitational force on a body of mass m at any point outside
the earth can be expressed mathematically as, Fg = GmEm/r2, where m is the mass of
the earth and r is the distance of the body from the earth’s center. For problems in which
the distance of the body changes the gravitational force can’t be considered constant,
due to this, the gravitational potential energy must be express in a more general way.

In order to find this mathematical

expression, we must follow different steps.
First, we should consider a body of mass m
outside the earth, then calculate the work
Wgrav done by the gravitational force when
the body moves directly away from or
toward the center of the earth from r=r1 to
r=r2(see Fig. 3). In this case, work can be
mathematically expressed as:

Equation 4

Fig. 3
where Fr is the radial component of the
gravitational force, the component in the direction outward from the center of the
earth. Because the gravitational force points directly inward toward the center of the
earth, the sign of the Fr must be negative, thus the second mathematical expression
can be expressed as:

Equation 5
Substituting Eq.5 into Eq. 4, Wgrav can be equate as:

Equation 6

The path doesn’t have to be a

straight line; it could also be a curve like the one in Fig. 3. This only proves that the
gravitational force is always conservative. From these equations, since Wgrav = U1 – U2
and comparing this to Eq. 8, we could now mathematically express gravitational
potential energy as:

Equation 7
 As shown in Figure 4 the
gravitational potential energy depends on
the distance r between the body of mass m
and the center of the earth. A body that
moves away from the earth, expect an
increase of r, the gravitational force does
negative work, and U increases (i.e.,
becomes less negative).On the other hand,
if a body “falls” toward earth, r decreases,
this time the expect a positive gravitational
work, because of this, the potential energy
decreases (i.e., becomes more negative).

Fig. 4

Can we make U positive? If we wanted, we could make U=0 at the surface of the
earth, where r=RE, by simply adding the quantity GMEm/RE to equation 7. This would
make gravitational potential energy positive when r > RE.

Lesson 4: Satellites Motion

How are artificial satellites stay in orbit? What determines the properties of their
orbits? These questions could be answer through the concept of Newton’s laws and law
of gravitation.

Recalling the concept of projectile

motion, Figure 5 shows a trajectory of a
projectile launched from a great height (ignoring air
resistance). Launching a projectile from point
A in the direction AB, tangent to the earth’s
surface, trajectories 1 through 7 display the
effect of increasing the initial speed. The
trajectories 3 through 5 the projectile misses
the earth and turn into a satellite. On the
absence of retarding force, the projectile’s
speed when it returns to point A is the same
as its initial speed and it repeats its motion
indefinitely. The closed orbits are trajectories
1 through 5 closes on themselves.
Remember, all closed orbits are considered
ellipses. As we observe, trajectory 4 is a
circle, this is a special case of an ellipse. On
the other hand,6 and 7 trajectories are called
open orbits. For these paths the projectile
never returns to its starting point but travels
ever farther away from the earth.
center of the orbit (Figure 5).
 The simplest case of a circular orbit is trajectory 4. Trajectory 4 is a significant
case, because most artificial satellites have nearly circular orbits and the orbits of the
planets around the sun are also fairly circular. The earths gravitational attraction is the
lone force acting on a satellite in circular orbit, this is directed toward the center of the
earth and hence toward the
In this case, the satellite is in uniform circular motion and expect a constant
speed. Remember, satellite is not falling toward the earth; rather, it’s constantly falling
around the earth. In a circular orbit the speed is just right to keep the distance from the
satellite to the center of the earth constant.

Now, how would you find the constant speed of a satellite in a circular
orbit?
The radius of the orbit is r, measured from the center of the earth; the satellites
acceleration has magnitude and is continuously directed toward the center of the circle.
Using the concept of law of gravitation, the net force (gravitational force) on the satellite
of mass m has magnitude Fg = GMEm/r2 and is in the same direction as the acceleration.

From the Newton’s second law expressed as:

then,

Solving this v (escape velocity) we find:

An astronaut on board a space shuttle is herself a satellite of the earth, held by

the earth’s gravitational attraction in the same orbit as the shuttle. In this scenario, the
astronaut has the same velocity and acceleration as the shuttle, so nothing is pushing
her against the floor or walls of the shuttle. We can say that the astronaut is in a state
of apparent weightlessness, as in a freely falling elevator. Take note true weightlessness
would only occur if the astronaut were infinitely far from any other masses, so that the
gravitational force on a person would be zero. Thus, a person feels weightless if there is
no net reaction force between the astronaut and the satellite because both are
accelerating towards the earth at the same rate.
We can derive a relationship between the radius r of a circular orbit and the period
T, the time for one revolution. The period of the satellite can be found using the equation:

where : T =period in seconds, r = radius, and v=escape velocity

 Explore

Here is some independent practice for you to work on to master and

strengthen the basic concepts you have learned from this lesson.

Self-Practice 1: Exploring the concept of Gravitation-

Practice Questions
1. What is gravity?
2. The earth is attracted to the sun by the force of gravity. Why doesn’t the earth
fall into the sun?
3. Sally’s mass on the earth is 50. kg.
a. What is her weight on the earth?
b. What is her weight on the moon?
c. What is her mass on the moon?
4. What is the relationship between the strength of a gravitational force and
distance?
5. What is the relationship between the strength of a gravitational force and mass?

Self- Practice 2:

Practice Questions
1. How is a falling elevator similar to an orbiting satellite?
2. The radius of the planet Mercury is 2.43 × 106 m and its mass is 3.2 × 10 23 kg.
a. Find the speed of a satellite in orbit 265,000 m above the surface.
b. Find the period of the satellite.
3. A geosynchronous orbit is an orbit in which the satellite remains over the same
spot on the earth as the earth turns. This is accomplished by matching the velocity
of the satellite to the velocity of the turning earth. The orbital radius of a
geosynchronous satellite is 4.23 × 107m (measured from the center of the earth).
a. What is the speed of the satellite in orbit?
b. What is its period?
 Deepen
SHOW ME WHAT YOU’VE GOT?

Problem Set – Gravitational Force

Direction: Solve the following problem completely.

1. What is the gravitational force of attraction between the earth 5.98 x 10 24 kg and
a 70 kg boy who is standing at sea level, a distance of 6.38 x 10 6 m from earth’s
center, m1 = 5.98 x 10 24 kg, m2 = 70 kg , r= 6.38 x 10 6 m, G = 6.6726 x 10 -11 N-
m2/kg2 ?

2. What is the gravitational field strength at the surface of the moon if its mass is
1/80 times the mass of the earth and its diameter ¼ times the diameter of the
earth?

3. A satellite orbiting the earth in a circular orbit is at two earth radii from the
surface of the earth.
a. What is the acceleration due to gravity on the satellite?
b. What is the weight of a 65 kg astronaut in the satellite?
c. Explain why the person astronaut feel “weightless”.

4. The rocket is at height of 150 km above the Earth. Thus, the distance r in which
is measured from the center of the Earth, is equal to the Earth’s radius plus 150
km. What is the escape velocity required for a circular orbit at this height?
 Gauge

Directions: Read carefully each item. Use a separate sheet for your answers.
Write only the letter of the best answer for each test item.
1. A planet in a circular orbit about a remote star, far from any other object
in the universe. Which of the following statements is true?
A. There is only one force acting on the planet
B. There are two forces acting on the planet and their resultant is
zero
C. There are two forces acting on the planet and their resultant is
not zero
D. None of the above statements are true

2. With the usual assumption that the gravitational potential energy goes to
zero at infinite distance, the gravitational potential energy due to Earth at
the center of Earth is
A. positive
B. negative
C. zero
D. undetermined
3. Which of the following is TRUE of the gravitational force between two massive
objects?
A. Always a force of attraction
B. Depends on how massive the objects are
C. Depends inversely on the square of the distance between the objects
D. All of the above
4. What is your weight if the mass of Earth increased and with no change in its
radius?
A. Stay the same
B. Decrease
C. Increase
D. Cannot be determine
5. Which of the following is not an example of the interaction of the gravitational
field of two bodies?
A. The force between Earth and the moon
B. Opposite poles of two magnets pulling toward each other
C. The force between Earth and a satellite orbiting it
D. The force between the masses used in Cavendish's torsion balance
experiment
6. What does every object create in the space around it?
A. Gravitational field
B. Electric field
C. Magnetic field
D. None of these is correct.

7. What effect does the moon's gravity have on the Earth?

A. It causes ocean tides.
B. It makes the atmosphere rise.
C. It pulls some objects toward the moon.
D. It has no effect because it's too small.

8. The path of comets around the sun is elliptical and so the distance from the
comet to the sun varies. The point of closest approach is called the perigee and
the point of furthest reach is called the apogee. Suppose that for a particular
comet the apogee is twice as far from the sun as the perigee. Comparing the
strength of the force between the sun and the comet at the apogee and the perigee,
what is the value of the force?
A. ice as strong at the perigee.
B. half as strong at the perigee.
C. four times as strong at the perigee.
D. the same at the apogee and the perigee since acceleration constant along
a closed orbit.

9. Which of the following is the reason why the Moon does not fall down and
collide with the Earth?
A. The net force on it is zero.
B. It is beyond the main pull of Earth’s gravity.
D. The Earth pulls on the moon with just the right force.
C. It is being pulled by the Sun and planets as well as by Earth.

10. Which of the following statements is true of a satellite orbiting the earth on a
circular path?
A. It moves with constant speed and acceleration of zero magnitude.
B. moves with variable velocity and acceleration of zero magnitude.
C. It moves with constant speed and acceleration of constant magnitude
D. It moves with constant velocity and acceleration of constant magnitude.
PROBLEM SOLVING
11-15

Assuming U is positive. Find the gravitational Potential energy of the

earth due to the sun if the mass of the earth is 5.98 x 10 24 kg and mass of the
sun is 1.99 x 10 30 kg and earth is 150 million km away from the sun?

SCORING RUBRICS FOR PROBLEM SOLVING:

EXPLORE:
Self-Practice 1: Exploring the concept of Gravitation-
1. Gravity is a long-range attractive force between all objects with energy.
2. Since the direction of the earth’s velocity is perpendicular to the gravitational
force pulling the earth towards the sun, the inertia of that motion keeps the planet
from falling into the sun.
3. a. Sally’s weight on the earth is 490 N
b. Gravity on the moon is 1/6 that on the earth. Thus, Sally’s weight on the
moon is 81.6667 N.
c. Sally’s mass on the moon is the same as on earth: 50 kg.
4. The strength of gravity decreases by the square of the distance. As a distance
doubles, the gravitational force decreases by a factor of four.
5. The strength of gravity increases proportionally with increases in mass.
Self- Practice 2:
1. A falling elevator, like an orbiting satellite, is in free fall.
2. a. Velocity = 2800 m/s
b. T = 6000 seconds
3. a. v= 3060 m/s
b. T= 86551 seconds
JUMPSTART:
Activity 1: Experiment Time!
Answer: While the cup is falling the water did not come out of the cup because the
weightless water did not exert pressure.
Activity 2: Mind Opener on Gravitation
1. F = 9.34 × 10–6 N
2. 5.28 × 10-10 N
3. 4.42 N
Activity 3: Power of Reasoning
Answer: Anna is right as a satellite is in free fall because it keeps falling toward
Earth, meaning that gravity is the only force acting on it. Tom is incorrect because
an object does not have to accelerate at a certain speed to be considered to be in
free fall. As long as gravity is the only force acting upon the object, it is considered
to be in free fall.
KEY
ANSWER
DEEPEN
1. 685.54 N
2. 2.0 m/s2 towards moon’s center
3. a. ag = 1.09 m/s2 towards the center
b. Weight = 70.8 N towards earth’s center
c. There is no net reaction force between the astronaut and the
satellite because both are accelerating towards the earth at the same
rate.
4. V= 7.8 km/s
GAUGE
Multiple Choice
2. C
3. D
4. A
5. B
6. A
7. A
8. C
9. D
10. C
Problem Solving
Answer : U = 8.85 x 10 8 J/Kg
References
Printed Materials:
Padua, Alicia L., Crisostomo, Ricardo M. (2005). Practical and Explorational
Physics Modular Approach.Araneta Ave. Quezon City, Philippines: Vibal
Publishing House, Inc
Tabujara, Geronimo Jr. D,. (2016) General Physics (Book 1). Pasay City,
Philippines: JFS Publishing Services
Deauna, Melecio C., Eusebio,Rosemarie D.,Eusibio,Edvino G.,Catris, Leticia V.
(2001). The World of Physics.Quezon Avenue,1104 Quezon City, Philippines:
SIBS Publishing House, Inc.
E-Book
Young, Hugh D., Freedman Roger A., (2012) University Physics with Modern
Physics 13th Edition. 1301 Sansome Street, San Francisco, CA, 94111:
Addison-Wesley Publishing

Website:
CK-12 Physics Concepts - Intermediate. (n.d) Retrieved October 17, 2020 from
https://dr282zn36sxxg.cloudfront.net

Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation (n.d) Retrieved October 17,20202 from

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/physics/chapter/6-5-newtons-
universal-law-of-gravitation/

Gravitation Worksheets (n.d) Retrieved October 22,2020 from

http://archives.evergreen.edu/webpages/curricular/2008-
2009/physics_09/Worksheets