Newtons law of universal gravitation

Liz Fox 2-16-06

A little review

Law 1: The orbit of a planet/comet about the Sun is an ellipse with the Sun's center of mass at one focus. Law 2: A line joining a planet/comet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas in equal intervals of time Law 3: The ratio of the squares of the revolutionary periods for two planets is equal to the ratio of the cubes of their semimajor axes
http://www.edumedia.fr/m185_l2-newton-laws.html

Some background
Copernicus- De revolutionibus orbium coelestium 1543 Kepler- Astronimia Nova 1609 Galileo- Sedereus Nuncius - 1610

Newtons Principia
Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy Published in 1687 Uses Keplers Laws to prove elliptical orbits Explains behavior of tides, precession of the equinoxes, and the irregularities in the moons orbit

Newtons Astronomical Data and Deductions

The planets orbiting Jupiter (Saturn) describe areas proportional to the times of descriptions; and their periodic times are as the 3/2th power of their distances from its center. The periodic times of the five primary planets are as the 3/2th power of their mean distances from the sun.

The nature of the forces

The forces by which the primary planets are continually drawn off from rectilinear motions, and retained in their proper orbits, tend to the sun; and are inversely as the squares of the distances of the places of those planets from the suns center.

An Inverse-Square Law

Centripetal vs. centrifugal Huygens- Horologium Oscillatorium (On Pendulum Clocks) - 1673

When 2 identical bodies move with the same velocity on unequal circumferences, their [centripetal] forces are in the inverse proportion to their diameters When identical bodies move on unequal circumferences with unequal velocities the [centripetal] force of the faster is to that of the slower as the square of their velocities

Newtons take

The centripetal forces of bodies tend to the centers of the same circles; and are to each other as the squares of the arcs described in equal times divided respectively by the radii of the circles.

The Moons Centripetal Acceleration

The moon gravitates towards the earth, and by the force of gravity is continually drawn off from a rectilinear motion, and retained in its orbit. It is solely the gravity of the earth that keeps the moon in orbit.

The Law of Gravitation for Point Masses

Law of universal gravitation- there is a power of gravity pertaining to all bodies, proportional to the several quantities of matter which they contain. Henry Cavendish (1731-1810) Hypotheses non fingo

Gravitation for Extended Bodies

Inside a homogeneous hollow spherical shell, a point mass experiences no net gravitational force Next, if a point mass is placed outside the shell, it is attracted to the exact center as if all of its mass were concentrated at a point Same for solid sphere of uniform density

Teachers' Domain: String Theory: Newton's Embarrassing Secret

Inertial and Gravitational Masses

Inertial vs. Gravitational mass Inertial mass vs. weight The mass is known by the weight of each body, for it is proportional to the weight, as I have found by experiments on pendulums. Keplers 3rd Law

A Final Thought

Nature and natures laws lay hid in night; God said Let Newton be! and all was light.