Exam 4: Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

Suppose a satellite is in a low- Earth orbit. Is it possible that the satellite will eventually fall to the ground? Why or why not?

A net force acting on an object will always cause a change in the object's _.

Suppose you heat an oven to 400°F and boil a pot of water. Which of the following explains why you would be burned by sticking your hand briefly in the pot but not by sticking your hand briefly in the oven?

The force of gravity is an inverse square law. This means that, if you double the distance between two large masses, the gravitational force between them

Gasoline is useful in cars because it has

Which of the following best explains why the Moon's orbital period and rotation period are the same?

Doubling the distance between two objects halves the gravitational force between them.

Which of the following statements is not one of Newton's Laws of Motion?

Considering Einstein's famous equation, E = mc2, which of the following statements is true?

Newton's Second Law of Motion tells us that the net force applied to an object equals its _ .

The amount of gravitational potential energy released as an object falls depends on

Suppose that two objects collide. Which of the following things is not the same both before and after the collision?

Changing the orbit of a spacecraft by firing thrusters is an example of

State Newton's three laws of motion.

Each of the following lists two facts. Which pair of facts can be used with Newton's version of Kepler's third law to determine the mass of the Sun?

Consider the elliptical orbit of a comet around the Sun. Where in its orbit does it have the largest amount of total orbital energy?

Newton's second law states: sum of forces = mass × acceleration. According to this, what property can you determine if you observe the acceleration of an object with a known mass?

Imagine another solar system, with a star more massive than the Sun. Suppose a planet with the same mass as Earth orbits at a distance of 1 AU from the star. How would the planet's year (orbital period)compare to Earth's year?

In which of the following cases would you feel weightless?

When space probe Voyager 2 passed by Saturn, its speed increased (but not due to firing its engines). What must have happened?