Deriving radial and tangential acceleration in polar coordinates

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dirk_mec1
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Homework Statement



Textbook diagram of an elliptical orbit of an earth satellite around Earth, with the satellite at point A near the top, velocity v shown as an arrow, radius r drawn from Earth's centre O to A, angle theta, point P on the right, and dimensions 16 000 km, 13 800 km and 8000 km marked.

Homework Equations


Formulas for a_r and a_theta.

The Attempt at a Solution


I got the second derative of r but I think the fluxie v is a mistake. I am sure that
[itex]\dot{v} =a\[/itex], right?
 
The statement of the question is rather unclear. If v is the velocity, dv/dt is a vector, but it doesn't ask about the direction. Maybe it means to ask for ##|\dot{\vec v}|##.
The given acceleration appears to be the radial component only, so is not the same as either ##|\dot{\vec v}|## (the total acceleration) or ##\ddot r##.
 
Yes but the radial acceleration is the total acceleration [itex]a =a _r[/itex] so it should be the same right?