Universal gravitation

Learning objectives

To understand how to place an object in orbit.
To show that circular motion is a special case of an elliptical orbit.

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.