Gravitation

Class 11 Physics · Physics Part I · Chapter 7

CBSE Class 11 community

View all
Physics, Chemistry, Maths + English
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Every subject, one purchase
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
  • + 3 more
~7 pages per kitPage 1 free
Physics, Chemistry, Biology + English
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Every subject, one purchase
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • + 3 more
~7 pages per kitPage 1 free
Physics
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
All 2 books, one purchase
  • Physics
~7 pages per kitPage 1 free
Accountancy, Business Studies, Economics + English
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Every subject, one purchase
  • Accountancy
  • Business Studies
  • + 3 more
~7 pages per kitPage 1 free
Physics
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Physics
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Accountancy
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
All 2 books, one purchase
  • Accountancy
~7 pages per kitPage 1 free
Hindi Elective
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
All 2 books, one purchase
  • हिंदी
~7 pages per kitPage 1 free
Hindi Core
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
All 2 books, one purchase
  • हिंदी
~7 pages per kitPage 1 free
Chemistry
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
All 2 books, one purchase
  • Chemistry
~7 pages per kitPage 1 free
Political Science
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
All 2 books, one purchase
  • Political Science
~7 pages per kitPage 1 free
Urdu Elective
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
All 2 books, one purchase
  • اردو
  • ‏                                        Urdu Elective
~7 pages per kitPage 1 free
Hindustani Music (Vocal / Melodic)
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
All 2 books, one purchase
  • हिंदुस्तानी संगीत
~7 pages per kitPage 1 free
Home Science
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
All 2 books, one purchase
  • Home Science
~7 pages per kitPage 1 free
English Core
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
All 2 books, one purchase
  • Hornbill
  • Snapshots
~7 pages per kitPage 1 free
Geography
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
All 3 books, one purchase
  • Geography
~7 pages per kitPage 1 free
Sociology
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
All 2 books, one purchase
  • Sociology
~7 pages per kitPage 1 free
Economics
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
All 2 books, one purchase
  • Economics
~7 pages per kitPage 1 free
Mathematics
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
TrendingRevise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Chemistry
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Chemistry
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Biology
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Accountancy
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
TrendingRevise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Accountancy
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Business Studies
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Economics
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Economics
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
History
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Geography
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Geography
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Geography
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Political Science
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Political Science
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Sociology
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Sociology
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Psychology
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
English Core · Hornbill
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
English Core · Snapshots
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
English Elective · Woven Words
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
हिंदी (आधार)
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
हिंदी (आधार)
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
हिंदी (ऐच्छिक)
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
हिंदी (ऐच्छिक)
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
संस्कृतम् (केन्द्रिकम्)
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
संस्कृत (ऐच्छिक)
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
اردو (کور)
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
اردو (اختیاری)
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
‏                                        Urdu Elective
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Computer Science
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Informatics Practices
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
TrendingRevise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Home Science
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Home Science
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Fine Art · Painting
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Biotechnology
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Knowledge Traditions
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
सृजनात्मक लेखन और अनुवाद
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Health and Physical Education
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
हिंदुस्तानी संगीत (गायन / वादन)
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
हिंदुस्तानी संगीत (गायन / वादन)
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
हिंदुस्तानी संगीत (तबला / पखावज)
~140days leftAnnual exams · school dates varyFeb–Mar 2027 · school-specific · tentative
Revise all of it in about an hour
  • Space weighted by unit marks
  • Charts from the book's own data
  • Traps corrected
Only 7 pagesPage 1 free
Browse all 60 kits →

Summary

This chapter develops the universal law of gravitation from Kepler's laws of planetary motion: planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun at a focus (law of orbits); the line joining a planet to the Sun sweeps equal areas in equal times (law of areas, a consequence of conservation of angular momentum); and the square of the orbital period is proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis (law of periods). Newton's universal law states that every body attracts every other with a force \(F=Gm_1m_2/r^{2}\), directed along the line joining them, where \(G=6.67\times10^{-11}\ \text{N m}^{2}\text{kg}^{-2}\) was measured by Cavendish. Acceleration due to gravity \(g=GM_E/R_E^{2}\) decreases with height as \(g(1-2h/R_E)\) and with depth as \(g(1-d/R_E)\). Gravitational potential energy of two masses is \(-Gm_1m_2/r\), taken zero at infinity. The escape speed from Earth is \(v_e=\sqrt{2gR_E}\approx11.2\ \text{km s}^{-1}\). Earth satellites obey Kepler's laws; the orbital speed is \(\sqrt{GM_E/(R_E+h)}\) and the total energy of an orbiting satellite is negative, \(-Gm M_E/2(R_E+h)\), confirming a bound orbit. A uniform spherical shell exerts no gravitational force on a mass inside it.

Kepler's lawsUniversal law of gravitationThe gravitational constantAcceleration due to gravity above and below the surfaceGravitational potential energyEscape speedEarth satellites and energy of an orbiting satellite

Key terms

Kepler's law of areas
The line joining a planet to the Sun sweeps out equal areas in equal time intervals, a consequence of angular momentum conservation.
Universal gravitational constant
The constant \(G=6.67\times10^{-11}\ \text{N m}^{2}\text{kg}^{-2}\) in Newton's law of gravitation, first measured by Cavendish.
Acceleration due to gravity
The acceleration of a freely falling body near a planet's surface, \(g=GM/R^{2}\).
Gravitational potential energy
The energy of a system of masses due to their positions, \(U=-Gm_1m_2/r\), taken zero at infinity.
Escape speed
The minimum speed needed to project a body so that it never returns, \(v_e=\sqrt{2gR}\approx11.2\ \text{km s}^{-1}\) for Earth.
Orbital velocity
The speed of a satellite in a circular orbit, \(v=\sqrt{GM/(R+h)}\).

Extra questions & answers

Try one from this chapter
Kepler's law of areas is a consequence of the conservation of:
Flashcards & interactive practice

Practice quiz · Gravitation

Score on this chapter, climb the leaderboard, and get an AI diagnosis of your mistakes.

Dual AI-verified questions Real exam pattern 1 free quiz every month, then ₹9 per quiz — or a monthly plan

#1

Gravitation

Start here
Physics 10 Qs · ~10 min

Instant score, answer review and weak-topic diagnosis

Data & insights

Trending in Class 11 this weekThe chapters students are reading most right now
  1. 1IntroductionEconomics
  2. 2The AdventureEnglish
  3. 3The Portrait of a LadyEnglish
See the full ranking