Gravity and Orbital Behavior

A series of flashcards covering key vocabulary related to gravity and orbital behavior.

Gravitational Force

The force of attraction between two objects, dependent on their masses and the distance between them.

Inertia

The tendency of an object at rest to remain at rest, or an object in motion to continue moving at a constant speed in a straight line.

Perihelion

The point in an orbit where an object is closest to the sun.

Aphelion

The point in an orbit where an object is farthest from the sun.

Orbital Velocity

The speed at which an object travels along its orbit.

Kepler's Laws

The laws governing planetary motion that describe the orbits of planets as ellipses.

Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation

A law stating that every mass attracts every other mass with a force dependent on their masses and the distance between them.

Mass (M)

A measure of how much matter is in an object, impacting gravitational attraction.

Distance (R)

The space between two objects that affects the strength of gravitational force.

Satellite

Any object that orbits another object in space.