Circular motion of identical spheres in space

[sberreb]

Hey everyone,
I have this question that does not make much sens to me and I can't find any clue on the internet.

Find the shortest possible periode of revolution of two identical gratitating solid spheres which are in circular orbit in free space about a point midway between them. (You can imagine the spheres fabricated from any material obtained by man.)

Some help would be appreciated.
have a good day

 

[Kurdt]

I think Newton's version of Kepler's 3rd law would be appropriate for this problem.

 

[baba89]

Hi there,

Circular motion of identical spheres in space is a fascinating topic in physics. The motion of objects in space is governed by the laws of gravity, which state that any two objects with mass will attract each other with a force proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

In the scenario you have described, we have two identical solid spheres orbiting around a point midway between them. This type of motion is known as a binary system, and it is commonly observed in nature, such as in the case of binary stars. In order to determine the shortest possible period of revolution, we need to consider the factors that affect the motion of these spheres.

Firstly, the mass of the spheres will play a significant role in determining the period of revolution. The greater the mass of the spheres, the stronger the gravitational force between them, and the shorter the period of revolution will be.

Secondly, the distance between the spheres will also have an impact on their period of revolution. The closer the spheres are, the stronger the gravitational force between them, and thus, the shorter the period of revolution will be.

Lastly, the speed of the spheres will also affect their period of revolution. The faster the spheres are moving, the longer their period of revolution will be.

Therefore, in order to find the shortest possible period of revolution, we need to find a balance between these three factors. It is difficult to give an exact answer without knowing the specific values of the mass, distance, and speed of the spheres. However, we can say that the shorter the distance between the spheres and the greater their mass, the shorter the period of revolution will be.

I hope this helps to clarify the concept. Keep exploring and have a good day!