Gravity wells - videos

.... and still-shots.  Two or three sessions for this page -  together.

If you haven't seen the Gravity Home page, it's here

Outline 

How can you demonstrate the pull of gravity that a large body exerts in space? 

Using this exciting apparatus known as a Gravity Well or Gravitational Well allows pupils to understand the attraction of massive objects due to gravity. 

The more massive the body, the deeper and more extensive the gravity well.   source

The videos

1.1

1. Gravity wells use many artist impressions.
2. 
   
3. The fabric of space is the idea.
4. 
   
5. It curves according to the mass of the object.
6. 
   
7. Orbits are much to do with it.
8. 
   
9. The Earth is in orbit around the sun in 1.1.
10. 
    
11. The Internet being what it is, there's probably another image which includes the moon going round the Earth.  Plenty of images but none which help here.

1.2  A similar well.

  2

 My home-made gravity well

      The diameter of the well is 115cm. 

  

3

Compare with 2.

 

4

Another of my gravity wells.

As you see, its much simpler.

Its diameter is 62 cm.

5

Another version of the first image.

An American gravity well for adults to give an example of a very large GW here. 

The main problem is it's difficult to make out what the man is saying.  Don't spend long on the 'show'!

6

A better GW and one like my No. 4 above is here.

7

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We now discuss what we've seen.

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