Names: Gayao, Ramonal, Jao, Galela, Bonjoc 12 - Triangulum

Kepler’s Laws & Orbits

In this activity students will be exploring Kepler’s Laws and Orbital Motion
using the “Gravity and Orbits” PhET simulation.
Open the simulation by clicking on the link:

https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/gravity-and-orbits/latest/gravity-and-orbits_en.html

Take a look at the explanatory video via YouTube:

https://youtu.be/m6e2y4fef1I

Learning Objectives
____________________________________________________________________________
By the end of these activities it is hoped that students will have an
acquired the following skills:
• Following explicit instructions to gain acquired knowledge
• Investigate the shape of planetary orbits
• Relate how planetary orbits link to Kepler’s first two laws of
planetary motion.
Names: Gayao, Ramonal, Jao, Galela, Bonjoc 12 - Triangulum

1. Is the orbit of a planet circular?

- Press the TO SCALE option at the bottom of the screen with the star and
planet chosen, see opposite image.
- Turn on the path/grid option ON.
- Allow the planet to move through 360o.
- Turn on the measuring tape from the tool bar.
- Measure the horizontal distance from the path line on the left of the star.
Write the measurement in the table below.
- Now do the same from the star to the path line on the right hand side.
Distance (miles)
Left side from the path to star 94 525 199.1
Right side from star to path 91 376 208.6

• What do you notice about the distances?

The left side from the path to the star has a greater distance than the
right side from star to path.
• What does this data say about the orbit of the planet, discuss?
Based on the data shown above, the orbit of the planet is not
circular, but is actually elliptical.
Names: Gayao, Ramonal, Jao, Galela, Bonjoc 12 - Triangulum

2. Linking planetary orbits to Kepler’s Laws?

- Go to model
- Click sun and planet
- Press PLAY. (with path/gravity/velocity/grid ON, and leave for one cycle
then PAUSE.

• Screenshot trajectory

Screenshot of the trajectory

● What holds the planet in the orbit?
Gravity holds the planet in orbit.
● What shape is the orbit use the screenshot to explain this?
The orbit of the planet around the star is elliptical.
Names: Gayao, Ramonal, Jao, Galela, Bonjoc 12 - Triangulum

- Turn ON the gravity force button.

• What direction do the forces face, screenshot this as proof?

The two forces are directed towards each other.

- Turn the gravity OFF.

• What happens to the planet & why, screenshot this as proof?
When gravity is turned off, the planet follows the direction of its velocity
because there is no gravity to keep it in place.

● Screenshot of the trajectory

Names: Gayao, Ramonal, Jao, Galela, Bonjoc 12 - Triangulum

● Screenshot of the direction

- Now, increase the velocity of the planet slightly by extending the

red ‘v’ arrow of the planet.
• What happens to the planet in the orbit?
The planet moves quickly now that the velocity is increased and its
path now deviates from its original path.
• What is the shape of the orbit when increased?
The orbit is still ellipse, although its distance covered increased
because the velocity of the planet is slightly increased. Due to this,
it is now clear that the orbit of the planet is elliptical compared to
when it has lesser velocity.

- Now increase the velocity of the plant to a large extent by extending

the red ‘v’ arrow.
• What happens to the planet in the orbit?
The planet goes out of orbit, like saying “it floated away”. The
velocity of a planet in orbit is enough for the planet to stay in orbit,
any faster than that and the planet will ‘float away’, Increasing the
velocity to a large extent allows it to overcome the force of
attraction of the star.
- Now decrease slightly the velocity of the planet
by diminishing the red ‘v’ arrow.
• What happens to the planet in the orbit?
The planet is moving slower since the velocity is decreased, but as
the planet becomes closer to the star, it picks up speed, and its
Names: Gayao, Ramonal, Jao, Galela, Bonjoc 12 - Triangulum

speed is maximum when closest to the star. The planet slows

down as it moves away from the star, and its speed is minimum at
aphelion.
• What is the shape of the orbit when decreased?
A smaller ellipse with points farthest (aphelion) and nearest
(perihelion) to the star is formed by the orbit when velocity is
decreased.

- Now decrease the velocity of the plant to a large extent by moving

the ‘v’ arrow in.
• What happens to the planet in the orbit?
The planet crashes into the star and has been completely
obliterated which would remain as nothing, but a small sunspot
that would later disappear in the void of space. No remnants to be
seen as if it had not existed at all.
• Now try to explain this in terms of v and gravity?
The planet's (smaller mass) velocity will increase as it approaches
the star (larger mass) due to the star's strong gravitational
attraction (larger mass).
Because the planet's velocity and distance increase as it
approaches the star, the planet will undergo a rapid turn as it gets
closer to the star because the star's gravity pulls the planet
towards it. The velocity gradually decreases as it goes farther from
the star in its orbit, and so on. However, because the planet's
velocity has been reduced significantly, the force of gravity is so
powerful that the planet collides with the star.

• Is the velocity constant throughout the journey?

No, the velocity increases as it comes nearer to the sun and
decreases as it is farther away.
• Which one of Kepler’s laws does this relate to?
This relates to Kepler’s Second Law. It describes the velocity of
the planet when it moves while orbiting the star,
- With the star and planet chosen and path/grid on, increase the size of
the star by sliding the controller to 1.5/1.75/2.0.
• What do you notice about the orbit?
Names: Gayao, Ramonal, Jao, Galela, Bonjoc 12 - Triangulum

The left side from the path to star is now shorter than the right side
from star to path.

• What happens to the velocity on the path?

The velocity increases as the planet gets closer to the star and
decreases as it gets farther away. Furthermore, as the mass of
the star increases, the velocity of the planet increases, reducing
the number of earth days required to complete one revolution.

- Now do the same but change the planet's

mass 1.5/1.75/2.0.
• What do you notice about the orbit?
Increasing the mass of the planet by 1.5/1.75/2.0 also increases
the gravitational force between them, but this change is
insignificantly small since it doesn’t affect the orbit at all.
• Why do you think the observation for your previous answer
occurs?
This is because the force is proportional to the product of both
masses and the square of their distance, whereas the planet's
acceleration is proportional to the mass of the Sun and the square
of their distance. In other words, the orbit of the planet is
independent of the planet's mass.