3.3 Gravitational Physics
Explore Newton's law of gravity and unpack its universe of consequences.
Explore: Mass Dependence
Explore: Distance Dependence
Apply: Heavenly Orbits
The Strength of Gravity
Cavendish's Experiment
Atmospheric Thickness
Escape Velocity
Ocean Tides
Gravitational Redshift
Gravity is Acceleration
Gravitational Energy
Gravitational Pendulum
Full Field of a Spherical Shell
Gauss' Law
Hunting for Resources
What if Earth was Flat?
Why Planets are Smooth
Circular Orbits
The Two-body Problem
Equations of Orbital Motion
Rotational Symmetry
Orbits in a Gravity Well
Bound Orbits
Elliptical Orbits
Hohmann Transfer Orbits
Orbital Periods
Course description
Here we lay out Newton's law of gravity and crack open the universe of consequences that spring from it. On the journey we'll come to understand planetary phenomena like tides and atmospheres, the rich geometry of heavenly bodies and their motion, and the engineering considerations of space travel. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to code simulations to explore applied problems using `Python`, derive pieces of general relativity, and understand where Newton’s law starts to buckle.
Topics covered
- Angular Momentum
- Black Holes
- Equivalence Principle
- Gauss’ Law
- Gravitational Fields
- Gravitational Lensing
- Kepler’s Laws
- Orbital Mechanics
- Slingshot Effect
- Tides
Prerequisites and next steps
You’ll need an understanding of mathematics and physics at the level of Classical Mechanics.
Prerequisites
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4.1 Solar Energy
Learn the physics of energy harvesting from our most renewable source, the Sun.
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