382

SELF-ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST

I am able to ... | Section | Not yet | Nearly there | Ready to move on
apply Newton’s law of gravitation | 17.1 |  |  |
calculate the gravitational field strength from one or two spherical bodies | 17.1 |  |  |
apply the law of gravitation to orbiting bodies | 17.1 |  |  |
describe Kepler’s laws | 17.1 |  |  |
realise that Kepler’s laws are a consequence of Newton’s law of gravitation and the laws of mechanics | 17.1 |  |  |
work with gravitational potential energy and gravitational potential | 17.2 |  |  |
understand gravitational equipotential surfaces | 17.2 |  |  |
derive the expression for total energy of an orbiting body | 17.3 |  |  |
appreciate the significance of the sign of the total energy of a body in a gravitational field | 17.3 |  |  |
calculate the escape speed form any point in a gravitational field | 17.3 |  |  |

383

REFLECTION

Can you solve problems with Newton’s law of gravitation? Do you understand the concept of a gravitational field? Can you solve problems involving gravitational field strength? Can you describe Kepler’s three laws on the motion of the planets?

Do you understand the concepts of gravitational potential and gravitational potential energy? Can you solve problems involving gravitational potential and gravitational potential energy? Do you understand the concept of escape speed? Can you solve problems with energy conservation in gravitational fields? Can you explain the apparent weightlessness of objects in orbit?

Exam-style Questions

You can find questions in the style of IB exams in the digital coursebook.