What changed Newton's original work on the movement of the Moon around the Earth into the law of universal gravitation?
1) his conclusion that the same laws applied to all objects, no matter how small
2) his connection of gravitation to his first law
3) his connection of gravitation to Kepler's observations of planetary movement
4) his conclusion that planets move in elliptical orbits around the Sun
5) his conclusion that the same laws applied to all heavenly bodies, not just the Earth and the Moon
The correct answer is option 5) his conclusion that the same laws applied to all heavenly bodies, not just the Earth and the Moon.
To understand why this is the correct answer, let's break down the other options:
Option 1) his conclusion that the same laws applied to all objects, no matter how small
This statement suggests that Newton's conclusion about the universality of his laws of motion led to the development of the law of universal gravitation. However, while Newton's laws of motion were indeed fundamental to his work on gravity, they alone did not transform his initial study of the Moon's motion into the law of universal gravitation.
Option 2) his connection of gravitation to his first law
This option suggests that Newton's first law of motion played a role in his development of the law of universal gravitation. Although Newton's laws of motion were indeed crucial for his understanding of gravity, his initial work on the Moon's motion did not directly connect to his first law alone.
Option 3) his connection of gravitation to Kepler's observations of planetary movement
This option suggests that Newton's connection between gravitation and Kepler's observations of planetary movement resulted in the law of universal gravitation. While it is true that Newton built upon Kepler's laws and incorporated them into his own work, his original study of the Moon's motion was not explicitly related to Kepler's observations.
Option 4) his conclusion that planets move in elliptical orbits around the Sun
This option references one of Kepler's laws of planetary motion, which describes the shape of the planets' orbits. However, Newton's original work on the Moon's motion around the Earth did not focus on planetary orbits and, therefore, did not lead directly to the understanding of elliptical orbits around the Sun.
In conclusion, option 5) his conclusion that the same laws applied to all heavenly bodies, not just the Earth and the Moon, is the correct answer. Newton's realization that the law he had derived for the Moon's motion also applied to other celestial bodies, such as planets and other heavenly bodies, led to the development of the law of universal gravitation. This breakthrough allowed Newton to formulate a general law that explained the motion of all objects in the universe, not just those within the Earth-Moon system.
The correct answer is:
3) his connection of gravitation to Kepler's observations of planetary movement
Newton's original work on the movement of the Moon around the Earth was further developed into the law of universal gravitation through his connection of gravitation to Kepler's observations of planetary movement. Kepler had discovered that planets move in elliptical orbits around the Sun, and Newton realized that this could be explained by the same force of gravity that governs the movement of the Moon around the Earth. This connection led to the development of the law of universal gravitation, which states that every object in the universe attracts every other object with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.