Download Name___________________________

Name___________________________
Teacher_____________________
Checklist – EPS Unit 7: Gravity and Orbital Motion
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Look over packet and unit with Mrs. Miller
Watch introduction of Explore the Planets with class
Read: “Gravity and Orbital Motion” pg. 122
Read: “Objectives for This Lesson” pg. 123
Complete Pre-Questions in packet
Put goggles on!
Inquiry 7.1: Gravity’s Effect on Objects in Motion
o Read and follow all directions in textbook
o Complete 7.1: Gravity’s Effect on Objects in Motion in packet
Inquiry 7.2: Testing Balanced and Unbalanced Forces
o Read and follow all directions in textbook
o Complete 7.2: Testing Balanced and Unbalanced Forces in packet
Inquiry 7.3: Observing Planetary Motion
o Read and follow all directions in textbook
o Complete 7.3: Observing Planetary Motion in packet
o Make sure you have read “Stars Wobble” on pg. 131
Inquiry 7.4: Investigating the Effect of Planetary Mass on a Moon’s Orbit
o Read and follow all directions in textbook
o Complete 7.4: Investigating the Effect of Planetary Mass on a Moon’s
Orbit in packet
Sanitize goggles and return to bucket
Read: “Heavy Thoughts” pg. 136
o Answer Discussion Questions in packet
o Read: “What is an Unbalanced Force?”
o Read: “Mutual Attraction”
o Read: “How Matter Affects Space”
o Read: “Modeling Curved Space”
Read: “Mission: Saturn” pg. 142
o Answer Discussion Questions in packet
Answer Reflection/Closing Questions below
Work on non-fiction paper
Pre-Questions
1. What keeps a satellite in space?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
2. List your general observations about planets’
motion around the sun:
o ___________________________________________________________
o ___________________________________________________________
o ___________________________________________________________
o ___________________________________________________________
3. What is it called when a planet goes around the sun?
________________________
4. What is it called when a planet spins on its axis?
________________________
Inquiry 7.1: Gravity’s Effect on Objects in Motion
1. What two forces are acting on the marble?
_______________________________ & __________________________
2. Is one force pulling more than another force?
_____________________________________________________________
3. Does the marble move the same way each time?
_____________________________________________________________
4. How did the marble move once it left the ruler?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
5. Does the marble leave the ruler differently with
changes speeds?
_____________________________________________________________
6. Measure the distance the marble goes once it leaves
the rules six times:
______cm ______cm ______cm ______cm ______cm ______cm
7. What controlling force acts on the marble at all
times?
_______________________
8. When you rolled the marble slowly, how did it move
once it left the ruler?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
9. How does the forward speed of the marble affect the
motion of the marble once it leaves the ruler?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
10. All the planets that orbit the Sun are traveling
forward due to inertia and falling toward the Sun due
to gravity. Describe the path of something that had
forward motion (like your marble) but is also being
pulled down by gravity.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Inquiry 7.2: Testing Unbalanced Forces
1. Without moving the metal ring, describe the motion of the
marble.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
2. When you use the ring to move the marble in circles, what
do you observe?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3. How is the ring in the question above an unbalanced
force?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
4. What do you think will happen if you lift the ring?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
5. Move the marble in circles, lift the ring. What happened?
Try this several times before recording an answer, and
give me a written answer and a pictorial answer.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
6. Suppose you lifted the ring when the marble was at the
“1:00” position. Draw the path the marble would take.
7. Suppose you lifted the ring when the marble was at the
“4:00” position. Draw the path the marble would take.
8. Like the marble, the planets move forward due to an
unbalanced force. Together, these forces cause the
planets’ path to curve. What is the unbalanced force that
keeps the planets in orbit? What would happen without
this unbalanced force?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Inquiry 7.3: Observing Planetary Motion
1. Predict: What path do you think the marble will take on
the sheet?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
2. After releasing the marble several times off the rules, how
did the marble move on the sheet?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3. After placing the water balloon on the sheet, how did the
marble move on the sheet now?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
4. What did you observe about the behavior of the balloon?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
5. Predict: How will the marble move, now with you adding
even more pressure/mass to the center of the sheet?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
6. How did the marble move with the added pressure/mass?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
7. How does the motion of the marble change as it nears the
balloon?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
8. What happens to the marble when you wobble the
balloon?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
9. Does the balloon wobble on its own as the marble orbits it?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
10. As the distance between the balloon and marble
decreased, what happened to the marble’s speed?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
11. Based on your observations, which planet do you think
would have the fastest orbital speed? What evidence do
you have to explain your answer?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
12. What force keeps the planets in their orbital path
around the sun?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
13. Read “Stars Wobble.” Why does a star’s “wobble”
indicate that a planet is nearby?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Inquiry 7.4: Investigating the Effect of Planetary Mass on a
Moon’s Orbit
1. What is the time of the orbital period required to
make the “moon” stay in orbit around your hand?
____________ seconds
2. Predict: What will happen if you increase the mass of
the Moon Orbiter’s cylinder to 25 washers:
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. New orbital time period: ___________ seconds
4. How does the mass of the cylinder affect how fast or
slow the sphere orbits your hand?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
5. Examine Table 7.1. Compare the mass of Jupiter with
the mass of Earth. Which planet has more mass?
_____________________
6. Examine Table 7.1. Compare Jupiter’s moon Io with
Earth’s moon. How are they alike? How are they
different?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
7. Compare Io and the Moon. Which planetary satellite
travels faster (has a greater orbital speed)? Given
your results from the inquiry, why do you think this is?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
8. Orbital period is the time it takes a revolving object to
orbit a central object. Which planetary satellite has a
shorter orbital period? What is the relationship
between orbital speed and orbital period?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
9. How do you think scientists determine the mass of the
planets?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
“Heavy Thoughts” – Discussion Questions
1. What would happen to the planets if there were no
gravitational influences from the Sun?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. In baseball, why does a curve ball curve? Explain using
Newton’s laws of motion.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
“Mission: Saturn” – Discussion Questions
1. Compare and contrast the characteristics of Saturn
with those of other gaseous giants.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. Given what you know about requirements for life,
would it be possible for life to exist on Saturn? Is it
likely? Explain your answer.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Reflection/Closing Questions
1. What is gravity?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
2. Where is gravity strongest? Why?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
3. Where is gravity weakest? Why?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
4. What keeps the planets around the sun?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________