In compiling the questions for this project, we wanted to know which aspects of gravity are most important for introductory astronomy courses.
With the foresight that the results would guide the development of a multiplechoice gravity concept assessment, we wanted a rather narrow focus.
While Einstein’s theory of relativity is often addressed in introductory astronomy courses, it is rarely emphasized. We deemed it unfair to ask questions that require an understanding of Einstein’s picture, since it would be impossible to tell if the student was correctly applying Einstein’s laws, or just had a misunderstanding of Newton’s Laws.
Thus, it was decided to only focus on aspects of Newtonian gravity.