Mississippi Science PHY.2.11
The Standard
- PHY.2
- Students will develop an understanding of concepts related to Newtonian dynamics.
Explain centripetal acceleration while undergoing uniform circular motion to explore Kepler’s third law using online simulations, models, and/or probe systems.
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Newton’s Laws
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain why an object moving at a steady speed around a circle still accelerates: its direction changes. They point that acceleration toward the center and identify gravity as the force that keeps a satellite in orbit. They use orbit data to see how orbital distance relates to the time for one orbit.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given a circular-orbit sketch, students draw velocity tangent to the path and acceleration toward the center. They use measurements from two orbits around the same body to check that T²/r³ stays about the same. They predict that a more distant satellite takes longer to orbit.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may say there is no acceleration because speed stays constant, or draw acceleration along the path. Some think a satellite needs an outward force to stay in orbit. Others compare orbits around different central bodies as though T²/r³ has the same value for all of them.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: One satellite circles Earth at a radius of r in 2 hours; another circles at 4r. Draw velocity and acceleration arrows for the first satellite, then find the second satellite's period using T² proportional to r³. Look for tangent velocity, inward acceleration, and a period of 16 hours.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Swing a foam ball on a string, then draw inward-force and tangent-velocity arrows at four marked positions on an orbit sketch.
Ask, 'If a satellite's speed stays steady, why is it accelerating?' Have pairs explain using velocity arrows at two points on a circle.
In PhET Gravity and Orbits, drag a planet to three orbital distances, time one orbit at each, and compare T²/r³.
Give students diagrams of a low-Earth-orbit satellite and a geostationary satellite; have them predict which takes longer to orbit using distance from Earth's center.
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- PHY.2.7
Analyze real-world applications to draw conclusions about Newton’s three laws of motion using online simulations, probe systems, and/or laboratory experiences.
- PHY.2.2
Use models such as free-body diagrams to explain and predict the motion of an object according to Newton's law of motion, including circular motion.
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