Physics Honors Chapter 7 Vocabulary

centripetal acceleration

the acceleration directed toward the center of a circular path

gravitational force

the mutual force of attraction between particles of matter

tangential speed

the speed of an object along a line tangent to the circular path

tangential acceleration

an acceleration due to a change in speed

centripetal force

the net force directed toward the center of an object's circular path

gravitational field strength

the magnitude of the gravitational force exerted on a unit of mass at that point

Kepler's 1st law

each planet travels in an elliptical orbit around the sun, and the sun is at one of the focal points

Kepler's 2nd law

an imaginary line drawn from the sun to any planet sweeps out equal areas in equal time intervals

Kepler's 3rd law

the square of a planet's orbital period (T^2) is proportional to the cube of the average distance (r^3) between the planet and the sun, or T^3 ∝ r^3

apparent weightlessness

an object has the same weight, but no normal force is acting on it