Gravity And Orbits
Original Sim and Translations |
Topics
- Gravitational Force
- Circular Motion
- Astronomy
Description
Move the sun, earth, moon and space station to see how it affects their gravitational forces and orbital paths. Visualize the sizes and distances between different heavenly bodies, and turn off gravity to see what would happen without it!
Sample Learning Goals
- Describe the relationship between the Sun, Earth, Moon and space station, including orbits and positions
- Describe the size and distance between the Sun, Earth, Moon and space station
- Explain how gravity controls the motion of our solar system
- Identify the variables that affect the strength of gravity
- Predict how motion would change if gravity was stronger or weaker
Keywords
Teacher Tips
Overview of sim controls, model simplifications, and insights into student thinking ( PDF ). |
Teacher-Submitted Activities
Title | Authors | Level | Type | Subject | ||
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Concept questions for Physics using PhET (Inquiry Based) | Trish Loeblein | HS UG-Intro |
MC | Physics | ||
Gravity and Orbits-Vector Concept | Trish Loeblein | HS MS UG-Intro |
MC | Physics Astronomy Earth Science |
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Gravity and Orbits | Emily Moore, Kathy Perkins, Christine Denison, Trish Loeblein | MS K-5 |
Lab | Earth Science Physics Astronomy |
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Solar System NGSS aligned | Debbie Brown | MS | Lab | Earth Science | ||
Gravity and Orbits Lesson | UTeach Middle School PhET Team | MS | Lab | Earth Science | ||
Alignment of PhET sims with NGSS | Trish Loeblein | HS | Other | Physics Earth Science Biology Chemistry |
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How do PhET simulations fit in my middle school program? | Sarah Borenstein | MS | Other | Chemistry Earth Science Physics Biology |
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Mapping of PhET and IBDP Physics | Jaya Ramchandani | HS | Other | Physics | ||
MS and HS TEK to Sim Alignment | Elyse Zimmer | MS HS |
Other | Physics Biology Chemistry |
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PhET Simulations Aligned for AP Physics C | Roberta Tanner | HS | Other | Physics | ||
Gravitação | Paulo Gouveia | HS MS |
HW Lab Discuss |
Physics Astronomy Earth Science Mathematics |
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Investigating the Parameters of Circular Orbits | Bruce Palmquist | HS UG-Intro |
HW Lab Guided |
Astronomy Physics |
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Kepler's Laws and Orbits | Simon Lees | HS | Lab HW Guided |
Astronomy Physics |
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Student Guide for PhET - Gravity and Orbits | Brian Libby | MS HS |
HW Guided Discuss Lab |
Astronomy Physics |
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Preguntas de razonamiento para todas las simulaciones HTML5 | Diana López | Grad HS K-5 UG-Intro UG-Adv MS |
Discuss HW |
Astronomy Mathematics Physics Chemistry |
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Gravidade no "Gravity and Orbits (HTML5)" | Artur Araújo Cavalcante e Gilvandenys Leite Sales | HS MS Other |
HW Guided Other |
Earth Science Physics Other |
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[tradução] Gravidade, Orbitais e leis de Kepler | Amanda Santos | HS | Guided | Physics Astronomy |
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Gravitação | Luis Carlos | HS | Demo HW |
Astronomy Mathematics Physics |
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Aplicação e verificação das Leis de Kepler e Gravitação Universal. | Vinicius Rodrigues Gomes de Freitas | MS HS |
HW Demo |
Astronomy Physics |
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B5 GRAVEDAD Y ÓRBITAS | FRANCISCO CRUZ CANTU | HS | HW Lab Guided |
Physics |
Browse legacy activities.
The new HTML5 sims can run on iPads and Chromebooks, as well as PC, Mac, and Linux systems.
iPad:
iOS 11+ Safari
iPad compatible sims
Android:
Not officially supported. If you are using the HTML5 sims on Android, we recommend using the latest version of Google Chrome.
Chromebook:
Latest version of Google Chrome
The HTML5 and Flash PhET sims are supported on all Chromebooks.
Chromebook compatible sims
Windows Systems:
Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer 11, latest version of Firefox, latest version of Google Chrome.
Macintosh Systems:
macOS 10.9.5+, Safari 9+, latest version of Chrome.
Linux Systems:
Not officially supported. Please contact phethelp@colorado.edu with troubleshooting issues.
Design Team | Third-party Libraries | Thanks To |
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