Gravity Worksheets

Answer Keys Here

Have you ever jumped and landed? That invisible force that makes you land or pulls you back to Earth is called gravity. All planets have this force that pulls them back to the center of it. Anything that has mass, also has a gravity. The larger the object the greater gravity that is exerted by it. This is why astronauts seem to float on our moon. The moon is much smaller than planet Earth and therefore it has a lot less gravity. The sun gravity keeps all the planets in our galaxy orbiting it. This sets up the Earth to be a very comfortable distance and receive the sun's energy at just the right intensity for life to thrive on it. These worksheets will examine the many different aspects of gravity.

Gravity Worksheets:

The Gravity Of It All! - Gravity is important to us because without Earth's pull, nothing would stay put on the surface of the Earth-not even us! In our solar system, the sun's attractive forces keep the Earth in orbit around the sun.

QUESTIONS: The Gravity Of It All! - What is the real difference between mass and weight?

Isaac Newton - Isaac Newton contributed many things to our scientific understanding of the world. He developed the theory of gravity, the laws of motion, which evolved into our modern physics, and a new kind of mathematics which he called "fluxions," but which we know as the calculus that we still use today. He also made discoveries in the field of optics, like the reflecting telescope.

QUESTIONS: Isaac Newton - What is Newton's most important book generally referred to as?

The Theory of Relativity - Albert Einstein was born in Germany in 1879, and spent most of his childhood there. His father, who owned an electronics company, taught him a lot about science and electronics. Einstein studied mathematics and science in school.

QUESTIONS: The Theory of Relativity - Which of the following is true about the Theory of Relativity?

Escape Velocity - The dividing line between Earth's atmosphere and space is a little over 62 miles (100 km) above Earth's surface. The higher you get above the surface of the Earth, the thinner the gases get that comprise Earth's atmosphere77.5% of these gases are concentrated in the first seven miles of the atmosphere. 99% are within the first 20 miles.

QUESTIONS: Escape Velocity - What happens to the gases that comprise the Earth's atmosphere the higher up you get above the surface of the Earth?

Gravitational Time Dilation - Gravitational Time Dilation is the measurement of how much time has elapsed between two observers experiencing the same event, but situated at different distances from a gravitational mass. Put more simply, time moves more slowly where gravity is the strongest, because item curves space-time.

QUESTIONS: Gravitational Time Dilation - If one twin travelled in space while the other remained on Earth, which would age more quickly?

Gravity and Motion - The Earth pulls on every object on its surface, keeping us attached to it. All objects in the universe that have mass exert a gravitational pull or force on other objects with mass. The larger the object, the greater the force.

QUESTIONS: Gravity and Motion - What keeps Earth and the other planets orbiting the sun?

Is There Gravity In Space? - Every object subject to Earth's pull moves at the same acceleration towards the Earth. For instance, if you drop a penny and a book from the same height, they will be pulled back down towards Earth's surface by gravity at the same rate of acceleration.

QUESTIONS: Is There Gravity In Space? - If you drop a penny, a book, and a car from the top of the Eiffel Tower which will fall the fastest?

Is Artificial Gravity Possible? - In films like Star Trek and Star Wars, people walk around inside spaceships as if they were walking in a building on the Earth-that is, as if they were subject to Earth's pull.

QUESTIONS: Is Artificial Gravity Possible? - What are some problems with using centripetal force to produce artificial gravity in space?

Gravitational Waves - The strongest gravitational waves are created as a result of cataclysmic events like black holes colliding. Some believe that there are gravitational waves that are left over from the birth of the universe.

QUESTIONS: Gravitational Waves - The existence of gravitational waves was confirmed by who?

Gravitational Lensing - The work of Albert Einstein forever changed how we view the universe. While Newton imagined it as an unchanging backdrop to our planet, Einstein recognized it as a dynamic system constantly changing as it is influenced by mass and energy.

QUESTIONS: Gravitational Lensing - How does space-time effect the movement of light through the universe?

Why Is Gravity Important to Understand?

In our immediate surroundings it important to understand that this force that pulls us to the center of the Earth is what creates weight and why anything that wants to get off the ground for an extended period requires generating lift. Understanding how to manipulate gravity to our advantage can help you any sport that uses a ball. In space understanding the gravitational forces that exist, we can use those to our advantage to travel using less fuel. Gravitational forces can be manipulated and used to slingshot space shuttles to travel great distances.