Universal gravitation

Animated version of Newton's famous drawing dealing the free fall of a body. Free fall and the launching of an object into orbit are both governed by the same theory of gravity.

The '+' and '-' buttons enable you to observe different cases, from free fall (initial velocity zero) to escape velocity (11.3 km/s starting from  the ground).

Frictional effects are neglected and only the force due to gravity is acting.