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Nature of science:
Communication of scientific explanations: The ability to apply field theory to the unobservable (charges) and the massively scaled (motion of satellites) required scientists to develop new ways to investigate, analyse and report findings to a general public used to scientific discoveries based on tangible and discernible evidence. (5.1)
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Understandings:
- Potential and potential energy
- Potential gradient
- Potential difference
- Escape speed
- Orbital motion, orbital speed and orbital energy
- Forces and inverse-square law behaviour
Applications and skills:
- Determining the potential energy of a point mass and the potential energy of a point charge
- Solving problems involving potential energy
- Determining the potential inside a charged sphere
- Solving problems involving the speed required for an object to go into orbit around a planet and for an object to escape the gravitational field of a planet
- Solving problems involving orbital energy of charged particles in circular orbital motion and masses in circular orbital motion
- Solving problems involving forces on charges and masses in radial and uniform fields
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Utilization:
- The global positioning system depends on complete understanding of satellite motion
- Geostationary/polar satellites
- The acceleration of charged particles in particle accelerators and in many medical imaging devices depends on the presence of electric fields (see Physics option sub-topic C.4)
Aims:
- Aim 2: Newton’s law of gravitation and Coulomb’s law form part of the structure known as “classical physics”. This body of knowledge has provided the methods and tools of analysis up to the advent of the theory of relativity and the quantum theory
- Aim 4: the theories of gravitation and electrostatic interactions allows for a great synthesis in the description of a large number of phenomena
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Guidance:
- Orbital motion of a satellite around a planet is restricted to a consideration of circular orbits (links to 6.1 and 6.2)
- Both uniform and radial fields need to be considered
- Students should recognize that lines of force can be two-dimensional representations of three-dimensional fields
- Students should assume that the electric field everywhere between parallel plates is uniform with edge effects occurring beyond the limits of the plates
Data booklet reference:
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