The Earth travels around the sun in an elliptical pattern, but it is still fairly close to a circular orbit. The seasons on Earth are determined by the angle of sunlight that hits the planet …
Gravity Potential Energy in Space
In space there is potential energy that is gravitational, similar in some ways to the potential energy associated with height on earth, but also different. Two objects must be present and the …
Gravity Drilling to the Center of the Earth
If you were to drill a hole through the center of the earth the result might seem a little counter intuitive. Gravity decreases with distance, away from the earth, ie in outer space, and it also …
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Changing Coordinate Systems to Make Problems Easier
One day a physicist comes across a perplexed student in the library. It seems that the student had only learned to place his axes with the positive y axis going up and the positive x axis going to …
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Falling Velocity – Breaking a Container
Late one night a group of physics students dressed all in black and equipped with night vision sneak into Kesten’s office and steal a metal container labeled “Chug’s Secrets.” They learned the a2 = …
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