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Kepler's Laws Virtual Lab

Last updated almost 3 years ago
19 questions
Note from the author:
In this activity students will be exploring Kepler’s Laws and Orbital Motion using the “Gravity and Orbits” PhET simulation.

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.

Here is a link to the simulation if the version below does not work:
Phet Sim link
In this activity students will be exploring Kepler’s Laws and Orbital Motion using the “Gravity and Orbits” PhET simulation.

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.

Here is a link to the simulation if the version below does not work:
Phet Sim link
1

Complete the table

1

What do you notice about the distances?

1

What does this data say about the orbit of the planet, discuss?

1

Screenshot the trajectory and paste here

1

What holds the planet in the orbit?

1

What shape is the orbit use the screenshot to explain this?

1

Turn on gravity force button, green circle above.
A) Answer the quation and add a screenshot

1
1

What happens to the planet in the orbit?

1

What is the shape of the orbit when increased?

1

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?

1

What happens to the planet in the orbit?

1

What is the shape of the orbit when increased?

1

Now decrease the velocity of the plant to a large extent by moving the ‘v’
arrow in. (Full Sentences)

A) What happens to the planet in the orbit?
___________________________________________________
B) Now try to explain this in terms of v and
gravity?
___________________________________________________
C) Is the velocity constant throughout the journey?
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
D) Which one of Kepler’s law does this relate to?

1

What do you notice about the orbit?

1

What happens to the velocity on the path?

1

What do you notice about the orbit?

1

Why do you think the observation for your previous answer occurs?

1

What did you learn from this virtual lab?