Gravitational pull (revolutions)

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of gravitational pull and the dynamics of objects revolving around each other, particularly in a vacuum. Participants explore questions related to mass, gravitational interaction, and the conditions under which objects may orbit one another.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether an ant would revolve around an average male human in a vacuum, given the mass differences.
  • Another participant explains that regardless of mass differences, two objects orbit around a barycenter, with the example of Pluto and Charon illustrating this point.
  • A participant seeks clarification on the term "massive," asking if it refers to size or mass, leading to a discussion about the distinction between mass and size in the context of gravitational effects.
  • It is noted that a neutron star, despite its small size, can be extremely massive compared to Earth, highlighting the importance of density and composition in gravitational interactions.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the implications of mass in gravitational interactions, particularly regarding the first question about the ant and the human. While there is some agreement on the concept of barycenters, the initial questions remain unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Participants are exploring foundational concepts of gravity and mass without a consensus on the specific scenarios presented. The discussion includes assumptions about the nature of gravitational pull in a vacuum and the definitions of mass and size.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those curious about gravitational dynamics, particularly in educational contexts related to physics and astronomy.

robertroman10
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I am working on my own laws of physics because I am extremely bored. I am making a law or revolution (objects revolving around other objects) and thought of a few questions that hopefull you guys can help me with. Here they are...

1) In a vacuum, where the only gravitation pull is between you and another object, would an ant revolve around an average male human? I thought of this because the suns mass is 330,000 times more than Earth's, and an average human males mass is 27777777 times more than a 2 cm long ant, shouldn't the ant revolve around us in a vacuum?

2) If two objects have equall mass and in a vacuum, then would they revolve around each other or cancel each other out?

3) If number one is correct, is there a ratio for how much maximum mass a object could obtain and still revolve around another object with a fixed mass let's say... one kiligram?

* please take note when answering that I am 13 years old so the simpler the better. Also if there are any links you guys know for explaining gravity in detail (not wikipedia) that would be great also.

Thank!
 
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Actually, no matter the difference in mass between 2 objects, they both orbit around a center point between the 2 center of masses called the Barycenter. If you look at Pluto and its moon Charon, they actually both orbit a point that is ABOVE the surface of Pluto. The more extreme the mass difference, the less the more massive object moves compared to the smaller object. This is why the Earth is said to orbit around the Sun instead of the reverse. It is much more massive than the Earth and the barycenter is near to the core of the sun. For 2 objects of equal mass, they would orbit each other.

See some of the animations here. (Sorry, its on wikipedia lol.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barycenter#Barycenter_in_astronomy
 
Thanks a lot! and by massive do you mean size (ie surfacea area) or mass?
 
robertroman10 said:
Thanks a lot! and by massive do you mean size (ie surfacea area) or mass?

I mean mass. A neutron star is extremely tiny compared to the earth, something like 50 kilometers in diameter, but it is thousands upon thousands of times more massive. Just depends on the composition and density of the object.
 
thanks!
 

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