View Full Version : Deriving Kepler's Third Law
eku_girl83
Oct20-05, 12:54 PM
Two gravitaionally bound stars with equal masses m, separated by a distance d, revolve about their cneter of mass in circular orbites. Show that the period is proportional to d^3/2 and find the proportionality constant.
I know that in this case, F = mv^2/r and that F=Gm^2/d^2.
But where do I go from here??
Thanks for any help!
Andrew Mason
Oct20-05, 01:18 PM
Two gravitaionally bound stars with equal masses m, separated by a distance d, revolve about their cneter of mass in circular orbites. Show that the period is proportional to d^3/2 and find the proportionality constant.
I know that in this case, F = mv^2/r and that F=Gm^2/d^2.
But where do I go from here??
Thanks for any help!Equate the two forces (since centripetal force is supplied by gravity) and see what you get. (Note: r = d = distance between centres of mass).
AM
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