Gravity and Inertia

Front

What is gravity?

Back

Gravity is a force that attracts two bodies towards each other, depending on their masses and the distance between them.

Front

What is inertia?

Back

Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion. An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by a force.

Front

How does mass affect gravity?

Back

The greater the mass of an object, the stronger its gravitational pull. This is why the Sun, which has a large mass, has a strong gravitational pull on the planets.

Front

What is the relationship between gravity and distance?

Back

Gravity decreases with distance. The farther away an object is from a mass, the weaker the gravitational pull it experiences.

Front

What keeps planets in orbit around the Sun?

Back

Planets are kept in orbit around the Sun due to the balance between the gravitational pull of the Sun and the inertia of the planets.

Front

What happens to a comet if the Sun's gravity disappears?

Back

If the Sun's gravity were to disappear, the comet would continue to move in a straight line due to its inertia.

Front

What is an orbit?

Back

An orbit is the curved path that an object takes around a star, planet, or moon due to the gravitational pull of that body.

Front

Why does the Moon orbit Earth?

Back

The Moon orbits Earth because it is closer to Earth than to the Sun, and the gravitational pull from Earth is stronger on the Moon than the Sun's pull.

Front

What is the pattern of orbital periods in the solar system?

Back

As you move away from the Sun, the orbital periods of the planets generally get longer.

Front

What is the role of inertia in space travel?

Back

Inertia allows spacecraft to continue moving in a straight line in space, even when engines are turned off, until acted upon by another force.