Dynamics Dungeon: Moon Orbit
velocitygravity (toward Earth)
PREDICT
How this connects to AP Physics 1 (Topics 2.6 and 2.9): for a circular orbit, gravity is the centripetal force: GMm/r² = mv²/r, so v = √(GM/r). The period is T = 2πr/v, and T² grows as r³. Astronauts float because they are in free fall, and gravity at that height is still about 90% of its surface value.