KS3 Science · Physics

Gravity and space

Six short lessons. Look at the picture, learn three things, then play.

Test yourself

Puzzles

These two are for the whole topic. Each lesson has a word search and a crossword of its own as well, at the top of its page.

Knowledge organiser

The whole topic on one page. Tap it to make it bigger.

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Key words

Mass The amount of matter in an object, measured in kilograms

Weight The force of gravity on an object, measured in newtons

Gravity A force that pulls any two objects towards each other

Gravitational field strength The force of gravity on each kilogram, in N/kg

Orbit The path of a planet, moon or satellite around a larger body

Natural satellite A moon: a body, not made by people, that orbits a planet

Artificial satellite A machine that people have put into orbit

Star A huge ball of hot gas that gives out its own light

Planet A large ball of rock or gas that orbits a star

Solar system The Sun and everything that orbits it

Galaxy A huge collection of stars, gas and dust, held together by gravity

Milky Way The galaxy that our solar system is in

Universe Everything that exists, including all the galaxies

Exoplanet A planet that orbits a star outside our solar system

Axis The imaginary line through the poles that the Earth spins around

Day The time the Earth takes to spin once on its axis

Year The time the Earth takes to orbit the Sun once

Light year The distance that light travels in one year

The pictures are illustrations made for this page, not real photographs.