Part A: Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following statements are true of an object moving in a circle at a

constant speed? Include all that apply.
a. The object experiences a force which has a component directed parallel to the
direction of motion.
b. Inertia causes objects to move in a circle.
c. There can be a force pushing outwards on the object as long as the net force
in inwards.
d. Because the speed is constant, the acceleration is zero.
e. The acceleration and the net force vector are directed perpendicular to each
other.
f. If the net force acting upon the object is suddenly reduced to zero, then the
object would suddenly depart from its circular path and travel tangent to the
circle.
g. The acceleration of the object is directed tangent to the circle.
 
Answer: CF
A is false; if the motion is in a circle at constant speed, the net force is perpendicular to the
direction of motion and there is neither a component parallel nor anti-parallel to the direction
of motion.)
B is false; it is centripetal force which causes the circular motion. Inertia (which is NOT a
force) is merely the tendency of any moving object to continue in its straight-line constant
speed path.
C is true; an object which moves in a circle must have a net inward force. There are many
instances of individual outwards forces which are exceeded by an individual inward force
(e.g., see #5 below).
D is false; acceleration occurs when there is a change in velocity. Since the direction of the
velocity vector is changing, there is an acceleration - an inward acceleration.
E is false; the acceleration and net force are always directed in the same direction. In this
case, F and a are directed inward; this happens to be perpendicular to the tangential velocity
vector.
F is true; if the net force is 0 N, then the moving object will maintain its state of motion. At
the instant that Fnet becomes 0 N, the object is moving tangent to the circle.
G is false; the acceleration is directed inwards; only the velocity is directed tangent to the
circle.

For Questions #2-#5, identify the type of force which causes the following bold-
faced objects to travel along a circular path.
2. An eraser is tied to a string swung in a horizontal circle.
a. gravity b. normal c. tension d. applied
e. friction f. spring g. electrical h. magnetic
 
3. The moon orbits the earth.
a. gravity b. normal c. tension d. applied
e. friction f. spring g. electrical h. magnetic
 
4. A car makes a sharp right-hand turn along a level roadway.
a. gravity b. normal c. tension d. applied
e. friction f. spring g. electrical h. magnetic
 
5. A roller coaster car passes through a loop. Consider the car at the bottom of
the loop.
a. gravity b. normal c. tension d. applied
e. friction f. spring g. electrical h. magnetic
 
Answers:
2. C - Tension (A string is attached to the eraser and pulls it towards the center point of the
circle.)
3. A - Gravity (All masses attract with a force of gravity. In the case of the moon and the
earth, gravity pulls on the moon in a direction which is roughly perpendicular to its path.)
4. E - Friction (Once the wheels are turned, friction can push perpendicular to the wheels'
direction, pushing the car towards the center of the circle.)
5. B - Normal (There are two forces at the bottom of the loop; gravity pulls outwards from
the center; but the normal force exceeds the magnitude of gravity, pushing inwards with
sufficient force to supply the needed centripetal force.)

7. Which of the following statements are true about gravitational force? Identify all
that apply.
a. The gravitational force only acts between very, very massive objects.
 b. The gravitational force between an object and the earth is inversely related to
the distance between the object's and the earth's center.
c. The gravitational force can ALWAYS be accurately calculated by multiplying
the object mass by the acceleration of gravity (m•g).
d. The gravitational force acting upon an object is the same as the weight of the
object.
e. The gravitational force between two objects is independent of the mass of the
smaller of the two objects.
f. If object A gravitationally attracts object B with a force of X Newtons, then
object B will also gravitationally attract object A with the same force of X
Newtons.
g. The doubling of the separation distance (measured from the center) between
two objects will halve the gravitational force between the objects.
h. It an object is placed two earth-radii above the surface of the earth, then the
force of gravitational attraction between the object and the earth will be one-
fourth the magnitude as on earth's surface.
i. Orbiting astronauts do not experience a force of gravity; this explains why
they feel weightless.
 
Answer: BCDF
A is false; gravitational forces are universal (Newton's big idea); they act between
any two objects which have mass.
B is true; if the distance is increased, then the force is decreased.
C is true; this is always the case. It is not true however to say that the gravitational
force is equal to mass•9.8 m/s/s. The value of g varies with location and so at
distances significantly further from the earth's surface, g is reduced and the
gravitational force must be computed using a different value of g.
D is true; weight and gravitational force are synonymous.
E is false; gravitational force is dependent upon the product of the two masses. Both
masses are important in the computation.
F is true; for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This is Newton's
third law, an inescapable reality about forces.
G is false; doubling the separation distance will make the force one-fourth the size.
H is false; placing the object at two earth-radii above earth's surface will put 3-earth
radii from earth's center. This is equivalent to increasing the separation distance by
a factor of 3; this decreases the force by a factor of 9.
I is false; orbiting astronauts must be experiencing the force of gravity. Without this
force, there would be no centripetal force and no orbit.

8. Which of the following statements are true about the acceleration of gravity?
 Identify all that apply.
a. The acceleration of gravity experienced by objects located near to (and far
from) from the earth depends upon the mass of the object.
b. The acceleration of gravity experienced by objects located near to (and far
from) from the earth depends upon the mass of the Earth.
c. The acceleration of gravity experienced by objects located near to (and far
from) the earth is inversely related to the distance between the center of the
object and the center of the earth.
d. Increasing the mass of an object will increase the acceleration of gravity
experienced by the object.
e. Doubling the distance between an object and the earth's center will decrease
the acceleration of gravity by a factor of four.
f. The acceleration of an orbiting satellite is equal to the acceleration of gravity
at that particular location.
g. If the mass of the Earth were doubled (without an alteration in its radius),
then the acceleration of gravity on its surface would be approximately 20
m/s2.
h. If the mass of the Earth were doubled and the radius of the earth were
doubled, then the two changes would offset each other and the acceleration
of gravity on its surface would still be approximately 10 m/s 2.
 
Answer: BCEFG
A is false; check out the equation - g = GMcentral/R2. The value of g does not depend
upon the object's mass.
B is true; check out the equation again. The acceleration of gravity created by the
earth depends upon the earth's mass.
C is true; check out the equation one more time. The separation distance is located
in the denominator of the equation, indicating an inverse relationship.
D is false; like statement A, this statement makes a claim that the acceleration of
gravity depends upon the mass of the object. It does not. In the derivation of g from
the Universal Gravitation equation, the mass cancels. :)
E is true; g is inversely proportional to the square of the distance; a doubling of the
distance means that you must divide the force of gravity value by 4 (2 2) to obtain
the new force of gravity value.
F is true; the acceleration of gravity is the acceleration which is caused by gravity
when it is the only force. For an orbiting satellite, gravity is the only force.
G is true; according to the equation, the g value is directly proportional to the mass
of the earth. An increase in M results in a proportional increase in g.
H is false; g is approximately 10 m/s/s on earth's surface. Doubling the mass of the
earth would increase g to approximately 20 m/s/s. Then doubling the distance from
the surface of the earth to its center would decrease g by a factor of 4. The new
acceleration of gravity value would be approximately 5 m/s/s. Clearly, these two
alterations do not offset each other.
9. Which of the following statements are true about satellites? Identify all that apply.
a. Satellites are falling projectiles.
b. All satellites follow circular paths.
c. The orbital velocity required of a satellite is dependent upon the mass of the
satellite; a more massive satellite would require a greater orbital speed.
d. The orbital velocity of a satellite does not depend upon the mass of the planet
around which it orbits.
e. A high-altitude satellite will require a greater orbital speed than a low-
altitude satellite.
f. By definition, a geosynchronous satellite orbits the earth in a perfect circle,
maintaining the same distance above the surface of the earth.
g. Satellites travel faster along their orbital path when they are closest to the
earth.
h. The acceleration of a satellite varies inversely with its distance from the
center of the earth. More distant satellites have smaller accelerations.
 
 
Answer: AGH
A is true (mostly); satellites are projectiles which are falling towards the Earth
without falling into the Earth.  They are falling in the sense that (like any projectile),
they are dropping below their tangential direction of motion.
B is false; some satellites travel in elliptical and even very elliptical orbits.  For
instance, the planets orbit the Sun in mildly elliptical paths.
C is false; the equation for the orbital velocity of a satellite is v = SQRT(G•M central/R).
The Mcentral is the mass of the central body - the body being orbited by the satellite. As
seen in the equation, the orbital velocity is independent of the mass of the satellite.
D is false; the equation for the orbital velocity of a satellite is v = SQRT(G•M central/R).
The Mcentral is the mass of the central body - the body being orbited by the satellite.
Clearly the orbital velocity depends upon the mass of the planet being orbited.
E is false the equation for the orbital velocity of a satellite is v = SQRT(G•M central/R).
The R in the denominator inside the radical is the radius of the orbit. The higher
altitude satellites have a greaer radius of orbit. As the R in the denominator
increases, the required orbital velocity will decrease.
F is false; by definition, a geosynchronous satellite has synchronized or matched its
orbital period to the rotational period of the Earth about its axis - 24 hours.
G is true; this is an idea known since Kepler that is explained by Newton's
gravitational law.  As a satellite orbits in an elliptical path, the force of gravitation is
greatest at the times when it is closest to the Earth;  this force causes a greater
acceleration and speed of the satellite along these nearest locations of its orbit.
H is true; the acceleration of a satellite is given by the equation g=G•M central/R2 where
R is the radius of the orbit.  The larger the R value, the smaller the acceleration.
This is an inverse square relationship.  
10. Which of the following statements are true about the motion of planets about
the sun? Identify all that apply.
a. The force of gravity is the only force which acts upon the planets.
b. Their trajectories are highly elliptical.
c. The planets which are furthest from the sun have the greatest period.
d. For any given planet, the speed is greatest when the planet is closest to the
sun.
e. The velocity vector is directed tangent to the elliptical path.
f. The net force vector is at all times directed perpendicular to the velocity
vector.
g. To keep the planet from escaping the sun's gravitational field, the net force
vector is greatest when the planet is furthest from the sun.
 
Answer: ACDE
A is true; gravity is the only force acting upon a planet. Think about it - what other
physical push or pull can you identify as acting upon the earth. (People pushing on it
and pulling it don't count.)
B is false; their trajectories are indeed elliptical. Yet in most cases, the ellipses are
very close to a circle since the eccentricities are very close to 0.
C is true; this is in accord with Kepler's third law: T2/R3 = constant. Expressing this
equation another way depicts the direct relationship between T and R: T 2 = constant
• R3.
D is true; this is Kepler's second law of planetary motion. In order to sweep out
equal areas in equal times, a satellite must be moving faster when closest to the
earth. See a clever animation.
E is true; at all times during the orbital path, the velocity of the planet is tangent to
the path. Since the path has a slightly elliptical nature to it, the force and
acceleration vector are not necessarily perpendicular to this velocity vector. The
perpendicular orientation of the F and a vectors relative to the v vector is unique to
circular motion. An excellent and informative graphic about this can be found online.
F is false; see above explanation and the link to the informative graphic.
G is false; the net force is a gravitational force. Gravitational forces vary inversely
with distance. Thus, a planet will experience less force when furthest from the sun.
You might really need to view the informative graphic.

 Part B: Short Answer

11. Explain how something can be moving at a constant speed yet be accelerating at
the same time.
Answer:
The object would have to be traveling in a curved path since it is accelerating. Acceleration is
defined as a change in velocity over a change in time. If the speed is staying the same, then
the velocity must be changing by altering the direction in which the object is heading. A force
is required to do this. See an informative animation and further explanation.
 
Useful Web Links
Acceleration

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12. How did Newton come up with the idea that the moon is actually "falling" toward
the Earth.
Answer:
Newton made the connection between objects falling (accelerating) towards the earth and
objects in space which are accelerating towards the earth while they are in circular motion
around the earth. Both are being pulled by the earth due to the gravitational force. The moon
stays in orbit due to it having the appropriate tangential velocity that keeps it from coming
closer to the earth's surface. The moon, however, is still accelerating at the rate any object
would have at that distance from the earth. In a sense, the moon is falling around the earth
rather than into the earth.
 
Useful Web Links
The Apple, the Moon, and the Inverse Square Law

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13. Distinguish between true- and apparent-weightlessness.
Answer:
True weightlessness occurs when there is an absence of gravitational force on an object. This
is not a likely occurrence since every mass in the universe is attracted to every other mass in
the universe with some force of gravity. All objects would experience some degree of
gravitational attraction (though it may be considerably small). Apparent weightlessness is the
sensation of not experiencing any external contact forces. This occurs when an object is in
free-fall. Even though the object may have a large force on it, it wouldn't register on a scale
that was in free-fall with it. Astronauts appear this way on the space shuttle.
 
Useful Web Links
Weightlessness

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14. Describe the apparent weight of a person in an elevator while upward,
accelerating downward, and not accelerating.
Answer:
When one stands upright on a scale, the scale measures the force of the scale pushing
upwards on the body. As such, the scale does not measure one's true weight, but one's
apparent weight. An elevator accelerating someone up must not only apply a force to provide
the acceleration but also oppose the gravitational force on the person. Therefore, a scale
would register a number larger than the gravitational force if the person is accelerating
upward. In this case, a person would experience an apparent weight which is greater than
usual. Likewise, if the person is accelerating downward the scale reading must be less than
the gravitational force since the gravitational force is accelerating them downward. As such,
the person's apparent weight is less than what they are accustomed to experiencing. If the
elevator is moving at constant velocity or at rest, the scale reading must match the
gravitational force in order to have a net force of 0. The apparent weight would be equal to
the actual weight of the person.