Laws of Motion
What laws govern the motion of objects in our solar system and the rest of the universe?� Let's begin by investigating the evolution of man's thought about how the solar system works.
For this unit please record the following in your notebook or journal: 1) Kepler's Law's, 2) Newton's Three Laws of Motion, 3) the equation for centripetal force and 4) Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation.
ACTIVITIES on the Evolution of Our Model of the Solar System
*Models of the Solar System - handout*
A brief investigation into the evolution of our model of the solar system.
*The Black box - handout*
Use either the Apple computer program or cardboard "black boxes" to investigate how models can be made of the unknown by their interaction with other objects.
*History and Philosophy of Western Astronomy - online activity*
Handouts are available also although the animations will not work, obviously.� Read the Ancient Greek, Renaissance and Kepler's Laws sections and answer all review questions. (Some questions may be skipped according to math ability - see the teacher).
ACTIVITIES to introduce planetary orbits
*Drawing Inner Planetary Orbits - handout*
In this activity you will be constructing the inner planetary orbits to scale and investigating the eccentricities of the planets orbits.
*Tracking Saturn's Moons - computer activity*
Find the location of Saturn in tonight's sky at 9 PM EDT using Solar System Live.
Download the program Satellites of Saturn from Dan' Astronomy Software to see the positions of Saturn's major moons at the same time.� A Macintosh version of the program, MacSATSAT is also available in the classroom (from the Astronomer's Comper Companion CD-ROM).� Sketch the Earth view, showing the positions of the moons with respect to Saturn.� Animate the program.� What do you notice about the velocities of the satellites relative to their distance from Saturn?� Using information from the table, graph period of orbit vs radius. (You may use the Graphical Analysis programs on the computer in the classroom.)� What is the relationship between the two?� Use the information given to draw the orbits of the given moons to scale around Saturn (the polar view)� Sketch the position of the moons for tonight at 9 PM EDT.
ACTIVITIES on Kepler's Laws
*Basics of Space Flight Learner's Workbook Chapter 3 - online activity*
Read chapter 3 of this Jet Propulsion Laboratory training Manual and turn in the recap questions and answers.� This book is also available as a download.
State and diagram each of Kepler's three laws governing planetary motion.� Revisit the activity on Saturn's moons to see if this data obeys Kepler's Laws.� You may wish to do the activity again.
*Kepler's Laws and the Orbit of Mercury - available as a handout or a download for PCs
This is a graphing and thinking exercise illustrating Kepler's Law's based on data from Mercury's Orbit.
EXTENSION:� "The Moon's of Saturn" is available as a handout or from the same source above.� This exercise requires a bit more calculation than the previous.
*Experiment 8.1 Kepler's Law's - handout (from Merrill Physics Lab Manual)
This is very similar to the activity above but a bit simpler to understand - this should be done IN PLACE of the activity above.