Comet Orbit Around the Sun: Calculating Speed

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a comet's elliptical orbit around the Sun, focusing on calculating its speed at a specific distance from the Sun based on given parameters such as its closest approach and speed. The subject area includes concepts from orbital mechanics and energy conservation.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the conservation of mechanical energy as a potential approach to find the comet's speed at a distance of 6 x 1012 m from the Sun. Questions arise regarding the necessity of the comet's mass for calculations involving gravitational potential energy.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively engaging with the problem, discussing the conservation of energy and its implications. Some guidance has been provided regarding the use of gravitational potential energy, but there is no explicit consensus on the approach to take, as questions about the mass of the comet remain unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the challenge of calculating the speed without knowing the mass of the comet, raising questions about how to proceed with the conservation of energy principle in this context.

jamagner
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A comet is in an elliptical orbit around the Sun. Its closest approach to the Sun is a distance of 4.5 1010 m (inside the orbit of Mercury), at which point its speed is 8.9 104 m/s. Its farthest distance from the Sun is far beyond the orbit of Pluto. What is its speed when it is 6 1012 m from the Sun? (This is the approximate distance of Pluto from the Sun.)

i have no clue how to find the speed given only the distances and the other speed
 
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Hint: What's conserved?
 
see that's what i don't know...my guess would be kinetic energy is conserved but i don't really know...i suck at physics i never know what's going on
 
Mechanical energy (kinetic energy + gravitational potential energy) is conserved.
 
so how do i use this in an equation can i set it up as a proportion
 
Initial total energy = final total energy. You'll need to know how to calculate gravitational PE.
 
What if you don't know the mass of the comet, because don't you need this to use the gravitational PE?
 
sriceb01 said:
What if you don't know the mass of the comet, because don't you need this to use the gravitational PE?
You don't need the actual mass. Just call it "m" and see what happens.
 

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