Physics of Gravitation Explained | Chapter 13 of University Physics
Physics of Gravitation Explained | Chapter 13 of University Physics Chapter 13 of University Physics unifies Newton’s laws with celestial mechanics to reveal how gravitation governs everything from falling apples to orbiting planets and black holes. In this summary, we explore the universal law of gravitation, weight and gravitational acceleration, potential energy and escape speed, satellite motion, Kepler’s laws, and the physics of extreme objects like black holes. Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation Every mass attracts every other mass with a force given by: F g = G (m 1 m 2 ) / r² G is the gravitational constant (6.674×10⁻¹¹ N·m²/kg²). The force acts along the line connecting the masses and obeys Newton’s Third Law. Superposition lets you sum gravitational forces from multiple bodies. Weight & Acceleration Due to Gravity On or near Earth’s surface, the gravitational force on a mass m is: w = G m E m / R E ² = m g g ≈ 9.80 m/s² but varies slig...