Modeling Gravity Quiz

1. Imagine that you are standing on the ground floor of a very tall building. Would you expect to "feel" gravity pulling you up when you are inside the building? Explain why or why not.

2. Pretend that the force of gravity suddenly disappeared from our solar system. Describe what would happen to the motion of the planets.

3. In class, you made a model of gravity in our solar system using a stretchy sheet, pool balls, and marbles. How did the model demonstrate the effect of mass on gravitational forces?

4. List at least one potential limitation of the model you used in class. In other words, how was your model different from the "real thing"?

5. Why is a model like the one we used in class useful for studying gravity and our solar system? Give at least one reason.