Center of mass for earth-moon system

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the center of mass for the Earth-Moon system, specifically focusing on the distance from the center of the Earth. The problem also extends to the movement of the center of the Earth in relation to the Sun during a lunar month.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to calculate the center of mass using the mass ratio and distances, but expresses uncertainty about the second part of the problem. Other participants question the approach taken and suggest that the calculations may be incorrect.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants exploring different interpretations of the problem and questioning the validity of the original poster's calculations. Some guidance has been offered regarding the setup of the coordinate system and the calculations involved.

Contextual Notes

There is mention of formatting issues with the coordinate system on the website, which may affect the clarity of the problem setup. Additionally, the original poster notes that they were unaware of the second part of the problem initially.

Punchlinegirl
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The ratio of the mass of the Earth to the mass of the moon is 77.6. Assume that the radius of the Earth is about 6404.0 km and that the distance between the center of the Earth and the moon is 380604.0 km. Determine the distance of the center of mass of the earth-moon system from the center of the earth.
I got this.. it was 4840 km.
The second part of the problem says, The earth-moon system moves in a circular orbit around the sun. How far from the circular orbit does the center of the Earth move radially (i.e. toward or away from the sun) during the lunar month?
Since the center of mass never changes I used
4840= m1 x1 + m2 x2 / m1 + m2
4840= 77.6( x + 6404) + x / 78.6
Solving for x gave me -1482 km.. which wasn't right..
Any help?
 
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Someone asked htis a few days ago, look around
 
I was the one that asked this a few days ago without realizing that it had a second part.. which I don't know how to do.
 
i think your approach is wrong
 
Assuming: the website isn't allowing for proper formating of the coordinate system

particle ; mass(kg) ; x(km) ; y(km)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
M_1(earth) ; 5.98x10^24 ; 0 ; 0

M_2(moon) ; 7.36x10^22 ; 3.82x10^5 ; 0

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
X_cm=((5.98x10^24kg)(0) + (7.36x10^22kg)(3.82x10^5km))/(5.98x10^24kg + 7.36x10^22kg)

X_cm= 4644.38km
 

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