PhET + Tuva: Gravity and Orbits
Sim Lesson
Lesson Purpose Gravitational force is the invisible glue that holds heavenly bodies in orbits. Even though this is a well-established fact today, the force of gravity still seems mysterious and abstract to us. Imagine how mysterious it must have felt to Isaac Newton his contemporaries when gravity was first identified four centuries ago! Given how abstract the idea is, it is essential for students to see it in action and discover its validity. This is exactly what the PhET simulations and Tuva tools enable in this lesson. Narrative In this lesson, students will: Describe the effect of the gravitational force on the orbits of planets. Generate and analyze data using the PhET simulation to validate Newton’s Law of Gravitation. Calculate the value of the universal gravitational constant, G. How Tuva Enhances This Activity PhET offers interactive simulations to help students visualize complex, real-world phenomena. However, the data generated by these simulations is sometimes hard, or even impossible, to capture and analyze. Tuva allows students to run simulations, collect generated data and analyze it in different ways using Tuva’s data exploration tools. Together, PhET and Tuva are a perfect combination, one that enables real inquiry-based learning.
The Universal Law of Gravitation was proposed by Newton in the middle of the 17^th^ century. In modern textbooks, it is presented in the following form: $$F = \frac{G m_1 m_2}{d^2}$$ What kind of data can we use today to verify whether Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation is true or not? The same set of data Newton himself used - the data concerning the motion of planets around the Sun! Let’s find out if Newton was correct or not.
Topics and standards: Science, Earth Science, Simulation, Grades 9-12, Tools Lab, PhET + Tuva