The Solar System as a lab for the Law of Universal Gravitation

TL;DR

This paper explores how the Solar System can serve as a practical example to teach the deductive reasoning behind the Law of Universal Gravitation, linking historical physics with modern data sources.

Contribution

It proposes using real Solar System data as a teaching tool to derive the law's mathematical form through deductive reasoning.

Findings

Demonstrates how Solar System data can be used to derive gravitational law

Highlights the educational value of deductive processes in physics

Connects historical physics with modern data analysis

Abstract

The Law of Universal Gravitation is part of middle and high school's general physics and astronomy curricula. This topic is included in the most popular physics textbooks available as a fact whose origin remains in the detailed work of Sir Isaac Newton 300 years ago. Consequently, its mathematical form is presented as an equation without any deductive process. Nevertheless, deduction of the mathematical form of this law is an opportunity to discuss how a deductive process can be performed using the data available on the Internet from reliable sources.