Principal Sponsors
Makes grants to address the most serious social and environmental problems facing society, where risk capital, responsibly invested, may make a difference over time.
National Science Foundation
An independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 to promote the progress of science.
King Saud University seeks to become a leader in educational and technological innovation, scientific discovery and creativity through fostering an atmosphere of intellectual inspiration and partnership for the prosperity of society.
The O'Donnell Foundation is devoted to building model programs to enhance the quality of education.
Gravity and Orbits
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!
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Teaching Resources
Main Topics
- Gravitational Force
- Astronomy
- Circular Motion
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
Tips for Teachers
The teacher's guide (pdf) contains tips created by the PhET team.
Teaching Ideas
| Title | Authors | Level | Type | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Gravity and Orbits Lesson
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UTeach Middle School PhET Team | MS | Lab | 6/22/12 |
Gravity and Orbits
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Emily Moore, Kathy Perkins, Christine Denison, Trish Loeblein | K-5 MS |
Lab | 1/31/12 |
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Gravity and Orbits-Vector Concept
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Trish Loeblein | UG-Intro HS MS |
CQs | 7/5/13 |
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Concept questions for Physics using PhET (Inquiry Based)
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Trish Loeblein | HS UG-Intro |
CQs | 7/7/13 |
| Inquiry to Gravity | Brian Underwood | HS | Lab | 12/9/13 |
| Gravity and Orbits Student Guide | Joel Barthel | HS | Lab | 12/8/11 |
| Gravity Assist | Ahmad Abdelhadi | UG-Intro | Demo | 5/10/11 |
You can submit your own ideas and activities.
Related Simulations
Translated Versions:
| Language | Language (Translated) | Simulation Title | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albanian | shqipe | Graviteti dhe Orbitat | Run Now | |
| Arabic | العربية | الجاذبية و الأفلاك | Run Now | |
| Arabic, Saudi Arabia | العربية (السعودية) | الجاذبية والمدارات | Run Now | |
| Basque | Basque | Grabitatea eta Orbitak | Run Now | |
| Bosnian | Bosnian | Gravitacija i orbite | Run Now | |
| Brazilian Portuguese | português (Brasil) | Gravidade e Órbitas | Run Now | |
| Chinese - Simplified | 中文 (中国) | 重力和轨道 | Run Now | |
| Chinese - Traditional | 中文 (台灣) | Gravity and Orbits 重力與軌道 | Run Now | |
| Danish | Dansk | Tiltrækning og kredsløb | Run Now | |
| Dutch | Nederlands | Zwaartekracht en Banen | Run Now | |
| Estonian | Eesti | Gravitatsioon ja orbiidid | Run Now | |
| Finnish | suomi | Painovoima ja kiertoradat | Run Now | |
| French | français | Gravité et orbites | Run Now | |
| Galician | Gallegan | Gravidade e Órbitas | Run Now | |
| Georgian | Georgian | ორბიტები და გრავიტაცია | Run Now | |
| German | Deutsch | Schwerkraft und Umlaufbahnen | Run Now | |
| Greek | Ελληνικά | Βαρύτητα και Τροχιές | Run Now | |
| Hebrew | עברית | כבידה ומסלולים | Run Now | |
| Hungarian | magyar | Tömegvonzás és keringési pályák | Run Now | |
| Indonesian | Bahasa Indonesia | Gravitasi dan Orbit | Run Now | |
| Italian | italiano | Gravità e orbite | Run Now | |
| Japanese | 日本語 | 重力と軌道 | Run Now | |
| Kannada | Kannada | ಗುರುತ್ವ ಮತ್ತು ಕಕ್ಷೆ | Run Now | |
| Khmer | Khmer | ទម្ងន់ និងគន្លង | Run Now | |
| Korean | 한국어 | 중력과 궤도 | Run Now | |
| Latvian | Latviešu | Gravitāte un orbītas | Run Now | |
| Macedonian | македонски | Гравитација и орбити | Run Now | |
| Marathi | Marathi | गुरुत्वाकर्षण आणि कक्षा | Run Now | |
| Persian | Persian | گرانش و مدار | Run Now | |
| Polish | polski | Grawitacja, a orbity | Run Now | |
| Portuguese | português | Gravidade e Órbitas | Run Now | |
| Romanian | română | Gravitatia si Orbitele | Run Now | |
| Russian | русский | Гравитация и орбиты | Run Now | |
| Serbian | Српски | Гравитација и орбите | Run Now | |
| Slovak | Slovenčina | Gravitácia a obežná dráha | Run Now | |
| Spanish | español | Gravedad y Órbitas | Run Now | |
| Spanish (Peru) | español (Perú) | Gravedad y Órbitas | Run Now | |
| Swedish | svenska | Gravitation och banor | Run Now | |
| Turkish | Türkçe | Yerçekimi ve Yörüngeler | Run Now | |
| Turkmen | Turkmen | Grawitasiýa we orbitalar | Run Now | |
| Vietnamese | Tiếng Việt | Lực hấp dẫn và quỹ đạo | Run Now |
Software Requirements
| Windows | Macintosh | Linux |
|---|---|---|
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Microsoft Windows
XP/Vista/7 Sun Java 1.5.0_15 or later |
OS 10.5 or later
Sun Java 1.5.0_19 or later |
Sun Java 1.5.0_15 or later |
Credits
| Design Team | Third-party Libraries | Thanks To |
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