Motion in Gravitational Fields
Inquiry question: How does the force of gravity determine the motion of planets and satellites?
Students:
● Apply qualitatively and quantitatively Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation to:
– Determine the force of gravity between two objects 
– Investigate the factors that affect the gravitational field strength 
– Predict the gravitational field strength at any point in a gravitational field, including at the surface of a planet (ACSPH094, ACSPH095, ACSPH097)
● Investigate the orbital motion of planets and artificial satellites when applying the relationships between the following quantities:
– Gravitational force
– Centripetal force
– Centripetal acceleration
– Mass
– Orbital radius
– Orbital velocity
– Orbital period
● Predict quantitatively the orbital properties of planets and satellites in a variety of situations, including near the Earth and geostationary orbits, and relate these to their uses (ACSPH101)
● Investigate the relationship of Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion to the forces acting on, and the total energy of, planets in circular and non-circular orbits using: (ACSPH101)
● Derive quantitatively and apply the concepts of gravitational force and gravitational potential energy in radial gravitational fields to a variety of situations, including but not limited to:
– The concept of escape velocity 
– Total potential energy of a planet or satellite in its orbit 
– Total energy of a planet or satellite in its orbit 
– Energy changes that occur when satellites move between orbits (ACSPH096)
– Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion (ACSPH101)
Extract from Physics Stage 6 Syllabus © 2017 NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA)