Find a
Resource
Select grade level(s) Select resource type(s) Select collection(s) Select standard(s) Skip navigation Digital Library for Earth System Education
Digital Library for Earth System Education
Home
New to DLESE?
Search tips
Educational resources > Find a resource > Resource description
Kepler's Second Law
http://www.phy6.org/stargaze/Lkepl2nd.htm
From DLESE Community Collection (DCC)
Comment on this resource
This lesson introduces students to Kepler's second law; that planets (and satellites) move fastest at their closest approach to the center of attraction and slow down when far away. This is made evident by calculating the ratio of greatest and smallest orbital velocities and by invoking the concept of energy. Students should acquire an intuitive understanding for the way orbital velocities vary along each orbit according to Kepler's second law. They will review the concepts of potential energy and kinetic energy and understand that orbital motion also conserves energy, in a somewhat similar way, although the formulas look different. Students will also be introduced to the procedure for calculating orbital motion.
Intended for grade levels:
  • High (9-12)
Type of resource:
  • For the classroom:
    • Lesson plan
Subject:
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
  • Space science
Technical requirements:
No specific technical requirements, just a browser required
Cost / Copyright:
No cost
May be used non-commercially as long as credit is given to the author.
DLESE Catalog ID: DLESE-000-000-005-165
Educational standards:
  • National Science Education Standards (NSES):
    • 9-12:
      • Unifying concepts and processes:
        • Change, constancy, and measurement
        • Evidence, models, and explanation
      • A - Science as inquiry:
        • Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
        • Understandings about scientific inquiry
      • B - Physical science:
        • Motions and forces
      • G - History and nature of science:
        • Historical perspectives
        • Nature of scientific knowledge
        • Science as a human endeavor
Related resources:
This resource is referenced by 'From Stargazers to Starships'
http://www.phy6.org/stargaze/Sintro.htm
Resource contact / Creator / Publisher:
Author: Dr David P. Stern
Goddard Space Flight Center