Ok thanks, that's exactly what I was looking for. Are there required (or just standard) units for these equations to work?
Also, is that "M" representing planetary or stellar mass? If it is stellar than I should be good (correctly calculated the orbital distance of jupiter).
Thank you everyone for answering, just one more question: how is planetary mass and orbital distance determined if the only knowns are orbital period and stellar wobble and mass?
Harcel,
Thanks for the clarification. As for my project, I think the optimal situation would involve me using a known period and radial velocity (<- correct term?) to make a graph to compare with one created from actual astronomical measurements. Is there anywhere you know of where I can get...
I'm a junior in high school and was recently assigned an open ended project in my pre-calculus class to research how precalc (or the basic calculus we have started) can relate to the real world. I have a strong interest in astronomy and physics and therefore desire to look at modeling the wobble...