Earth Flying Away from Sun: What Does the Math Say?

In summary: I suppose that nuclear reactors add to the total mass of the Earth.I'll admit I was mistaken in my last post. I suppose if my fingers are adding energy to the keyboard by striking it, I'm actually CREATING mass! :rofl:
  • #1
Newlaws
4
0
I have seen an article about the Earth flying away from the sun due to the use of nuclear energy: the Earth becomes lighter as we convert mass into energy, therefore the sun pulls less on the earth, causing the Earth to fly away from the sun.
See http://www.cheap-tickets-to-games.com/polka_dot_highway/ [Broken]
Does the math work out? How fast will it the Earth fly away? How much nuclear energy will we have to use before this effect will start working? What can we do to counter this?
Thanks,
--NL
 
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  • #2
Actually, if you work through the math, it turns out that the mass of the extra photons that are captured in by our planet due to greenhouse gasses (hence global warming) almost exactly cancel out the mass lost in fission nuclear power plants. So the Earth will stay stationary right where it is today. :rofl:
 
  • #3
this article is pretty much nonsense, nuclear power plants use very little amount of mass to get energy. from e=mc^2 its obvious that even a very small amount of matter produces vast amounds of energy, if anything the guy should be worrying about NASA just think about all the mass we take from the Earth and launch into space :rofl:
 
  • #4
Anzas said:
this article is pretty much nonsense, nuclear power plants use very little amount of mass to get energy. from e=mc^2 its obvious that even a very small amount of matter produces vast amounds of energy, if anything the guy should be worrying about NASA just think about all the mass we take from the Earth and launch into space :rofl:
Yeah, but it's only the interplanetary probes that we need to worry about. Their mass gets pushed outward, so that makes the Earth spiral inward toward...the...sun...:eek:

:tongue2:
 
  • #5
We should tie a string to the next one so it can tow us back out.
 
  • #6
Newlaws said:
Does the math work out?
I don't see any math on the site, but sure, the idea is valid. I suspect in a few quadrillion years, there'd be a noticeable difference. But don't sweat it, you'll be dead.
 
  • #7
a smaller force acting on a smaller mass produces the same acceleration

the Earth would stay in the same place...
 
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  • #8
Heh - yeah, you're right. An orbit is an orbit.

Slow day, sorry...
 
  • #9
Yes, I see it now. Here's the thought experiment I used to better understand it:

If you had two balls orbitting the sun, each close to the other, attaching one ball to the other with a small rope wouldn't mean they suddenly are attracted by the sun more due to their combined weight such that they would go toward the sun... thus the weight doesn't make a difference.
 
  • #10
What if we got everybody to go to China (its big enough for the entire population) and got them to jump up and down would that make a difference to our orbit?! I really hope somebody goes and does the math on this one!
 
  • #11
Oh but its not just those pesky nuke plants... what about coal plants! Wait... what about all combustion?? we're doooomed :rofl:
 
  • #12
TiBaal89 said:
Oh but its not just those pesky nuke plants... what about coal plants! Wait... what about all combustion?? we're doooomed :rofl:

Burning stuff doesn't change total mass does it? I say explain to people that what you eat and drink all comes out -- there's no nuclear fission going on in your body.
 
  • #13
Newlaws said:
Burning stuff doesn't change total mass does it? I say explain to people that what you eat and drink all comes out -- there's no nuclear fission going on in your body.

Its energy, mass changes. Someone also noted that there are photons that hit the Earth and i wouldn't be surprised if they nearly cancel out the energy produced by nuclear reactors :P
 
  • #14
a smaller force acting on a smaller mass produces the same acceleration

the Earth would stay in the same place...
The acceleration due to gravity towards the sun would remain the same, but wouldn't the Earth have to accelerate tangentially to conserve momentum as the mass reduces?
 
  • #15
Pengwuino said:
Its energy, mass changes. Someone also noted that there are photons that hit the Earth and i wouldn't be surprised if they nearly cancel out the energy produced by nuclear reactors :P

Yes, Indeed. As I type, the tremendous energy with which my fingers are striking the keys is destroying mass... how many billions of decimal places out that would be in kg or lbm I don't really know, but hey its happening. :tongue2:
 
  • #16
Your fingers aren't destroying mass, its deforming mass.
 
  • #17
Mk said:
Your fingers aren't destroying mass, its deforming mass.

I'll admit I was mistaken in my last post. I suppose if my fingers are adding energy to the keyboard by striking it, I'm actually CREATING mass! :rofl:

The silliness of these concepts in practical matters gets the best of me, but truly if we are to buy into these concepts of mass-energy equivalence... then it is still true regardless of how comically small these quantities are mathematically, and how wildly impossible they are to detect.
 
  • #18
TiBaal89 said:
I'll admit I was mistaken in my last post. I suppose if my fingers are adding energy to the keyboard by striking it, I'm actually CREATING mass! :rofl:

I don't get it. An old colleague of mine told me that if you squeeze a spring between your fingers, it gets heavier? I understand e=mc^2, but I don't think it applies in this case?
 
  • #19
That doesn't make any sense to me. It'll get warmer, but I can't see how the mass would change.
 
  • #20
Newlaws said:
I understand e=mc^2, but I don't think it applies in this case?

Of course it does. We never speak in these terms becuase obviously there is absolutely no purpose to do so. But I'm not aware of a "cut off" where e=mc^2 ceases to be true. If that's the case then there is a change in mass in these situations, despite the fact that it is radically small and undetectable.

That's all I'm getting at is that on some ludicrous level these things are happening. I like that spring example, that's a good one... and no doubt true!
 

1. What is the mathematical explanation for Earth flying away from the Sun?

The mathematical explanation for Earth flying away from the Sun is based on the laws of motion and gravity. According to Newton's first law of motion, an object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an external force. In this case, the force of gravity between the Sun and Earth keeps the Earth in its orbit around the Sun. However, the Earth's orbit is not a perfect circle, but rather an elliptical shape. This means that at certain points in its orbit, the Earth is closer or farther away from the Sun.

2. How does the distance between Earth and the Sun affect its orbit?

The distance between Earth and the Sun does affect its orbit. According to Kepler's second law of planetary motion, the closer a planet is to the Sun, the faster it travels in its orbit. This means that when the Earth is closer to the Sun, it will move faster and cover more distance in a shorter amount of time. Conversely, when the Earth is farther away from the Sun, it will move slower and cover less distance in the same amount of time. This is why the Earth's orbit is not a perfect circle, as the varying distance from the Sun causes it to speed up and slow down.

3. Will the Earth eventually fly away from the Sun?

No, the Earth will not eventually fly away from the Sun. As mentioned before, the force of gravity between the Sun and Earth keeps the Earth in its orbit. Even though the Earth may be moving away from the Sun at certain points in its orbit, the force of gravity will always pull it back towards the Sun. Additionally, the Sun's gravitational pull extends far beyond the orbit of the Earth, so even if the Earth were to move slightly farther away, it would still remain in orbit around the Sun.

4. How do scientists calculate the Earth's distance from the Sun?

Scientists use a variety of methods to calculate the Earth's distance from the Sun. One commonly used method is called parallax, which involves measuring the apparent shift in the position of a star as the Earth moves around the Sun. Another method is called radar ranging, which uses radio waves to measure the distance between the Earth and other planets or objects in the solar system. Astronauts have also placed reflectors on the Moon, which can be used to bounce laser beams off of and calculate the Earth's distance from the Moon and, by extension, the Sun.

5. How does the Earth's distance from the Sun affect life on Earth?

The Earth's distance from the Sun has a significant impact on life on Earth. The amount of sunlight and heat that reaches the Earth is determined by its distance from the Sun. The Earth's position in its orbit also affects the tilt of its axis, which is what gives us our seasons. If the Earth were to move significantly farther away from the Sun, it would have a significant impact on the climate and could potentially make the planet uninhabitable. However, the Earth's distance from the Sun has remained relatively constant throughout its history, making it a stable and habitable planet for life to thrive on.

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