Universal Law of Gravitation and Kepler's Laws
The force that keeps planets in orbit, and the rules that describe how they move.
Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation
Every object in the universe attracts every other object with a force proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
F = G(m₁m₂) / r²
Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion
- Law of Orbits — planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus
- Law of Areas — a planet sweeps out equal areas in equal time intervals
- Law of Periods — the square of a planet's orbital period is proportional to the cube of its orbit's semi-major axis
Lesson 16 of 31