Chapter 10: Gravity Is More than Kepler's Laws

Study Plan

Newton's law of universal gravitation is simplicity itself. Yet when applied to extended rather than pointlike masses or when acting among three or more objects, this simple rule gives rise to a surprising diversity of phenomena. In this chapter we look beyond Kepler's elegant laws of planetary motion and discover

  • Symmetries that allow us to say a great deal about the gravity of an object without actually calculating anything.
  • That the gravity within a spherical object is determined only by the mass within a given radius.
  • Tides on Earth resulting from the fact that gravity from the Moon and Sun pulls harder on one side of Earth than the other.
  • Tidal interactions between planets and moons (including Earth's Moon) that lock a moon's rotation to its orbit.
  • Comets that have been shattered by tides, and tortured moons alive with tide-powered volcanism.
  • Orbital resonances that nudge asteroids from their orbits and sweep out gaps in planetary rings.
  • Chaotic, unpredictable orbits in which the tiniest difference at one moment in time leads to huge differences later on.

Organize

  1. Read Chapter 10 in your textbook or ebook.
  2. Take the Diagnostic Quiz to assess your understanding of the basic concepts and identify gaps in your understanding of the assigned reading.

Learn

  1. Access the Animations given for this chapter. These brief lessons enhance your understanding of core concepts.
    AnimationTides and the Moon
    Section: 10.2, 10.3
  2. Use the FlashCards to test your memory for new terms.
  3. Review Foundations Box 10.1 on The Power of Symmetry and Excursions Box 10.1 on a World of Chaos.
  4. If your instructor has assigned SmartWork online homework, login from the right navigation pane for additional practice and review.

Connect

  1. Periodic Connections boxes and the Seeing the Forest through the Trees section at the chapter's end draw your attention to recurring themes and help prepare you for concepts explored more fully in subsequent chapters.
  2. Visit Astronomy in the News for breaking news of new discoveries and the opportunity to apply what you've learned in this chapter to real-world (and real Universe) events.


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Organize

Learn

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