NCERT Chapter Summary: Gravitation (Class 11)

NCERT Chapter Summary: Gravitation (Class 11)

Gravitation or gravity is a naturally occurring phenomenon or a force which exists among all material objects in the universe.

Newton's Law of Gravitation: The newton's law of universal gravitation states that the gravitational force (F) of attraction between two substance of masses m1 and m2, separated by the distance (r) is

F = Gm1m2/r2

Kepler's Law of Planetary Motion

Kepler's laws of planetary motion state that:

  1. All planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun at one of the focal points.
  2. The radius vector drawn from the Sun to a planet sweeps out equal areas in equal time intervals. This follows from the fact that the force of gravitation on the planet is central and hence angular momentum is conserved.
  3. The square of the orbital period of a planet is proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of the elliptical orbit of the planet.