Module 3 Activity: Part 3

Here in Part 3 of the Module 3 Activity, we're going to try and escape from a planet's gravitational pull.

There's no place in the universe that's free from gravity. There's some gravity everywhere. However, if you travel fast enough, you can get away from an object and never fall back onto it.

Note: If you can't run these animations in your browser, make sure to look at the videos designed to help you with the Module 3 Activity.

Right-click (or equivalent) on the link below, and open it in a separate browser tab or browser window:

Projectile Simulation from the University of Nebraska

Start by leaving the simulation at the default values. These should be:

• Planet mass: 1.0 M_Earth (this means 1 Earth mass)
• Planet radius: 1.0 R_Earth (this means the same size as Earth)
• Initial projectile speed: 1.0 km/s (about as fast as a high-velocity cannon shell)
• Animiation rate: 17 s/s (this is the default rate)
• Leave "automatically adjust animation rate" checked.

Your scores and feedback comments for this part of the Module 3 Activity will be available February 6th at 10pm.