Orbital Mechanics: Modeling a Planet's Path with Programming

AI Thread Summary
Modeling a planet's path in orbital mechanics requires understanding the gravitational forces and how they interact with an object's velocity. A fixed large mass and a small mass moving at constant velocity will not result in an orbit; instead, the small mass will follow a straight line due to its constant velocity. To create a script that computes various orbits, one must grasp the physics concepts behind gravitational attraction and orbital dynamics. Simply having programming skills is insufficient without a solid understanding of the underlying physics principles. A comprehensive approach to both programming and physics is essential for successful modeling of orbital paths.
Phys_Boi
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So I'm really interested in orbital mechanics. I'm only 16 so my knowledge of physics is restricted to an intermediate level. If there is a planet with large mass and a planet with small mass they are attracted to each other... So imagine a system where the large mass is fixed and the small object has a constant velocity. How can I model (I'm a big programmer and would like to create a script for this) the path the object takes around the plant. I know this has to do with the balance between the Fg and the velocity...
Thank you for any help.
 
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Phys_Boi said:
So I'm really interested in orbital mechanics. I'm only 16 so my knowledge of physics is restricted to an intermediate level. If there is a planet with large mass and a planet with small mass they are attracted to each other... So imagine a system where the large mass is fixed and the small object has a constant velocity. How can I model (I'm a big programmer and would like to create a script for this) the path the object takes around the plant. I know this has to do with the balance between the Fg and the velocity...
Thank you for any help.
I would like to also point out that i don't want only circular orbits. I would like for the program to be able to compute all orbits easily computable
 
Phys_Boi said:
So I'm really interested in orbital mechanics. I'm only 16 so my knowledge of physics is restricted to an intermediate level. If there is a planet with large mass and a planet with small mass they are attracted to each other... So imagine a system where the large mass is fixed and the small object has a constant velocity. How can I model (I'm a big programmer and would like to create a script for this) the path the object takes around the plant. I know this has to do with the balance between the Fg and the velocity...
Thank you for any help.
Phys_Boi said:
I would like to also point out that i don't want only circular orbits. I would like for the program to be able to compute all orbits easily computable
Have fun! :smile:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_mechanics
 
Thank you!
 
Phys_Boi said:
So imagine a system where the large mass is fixed and the small object has a constant velocityHow can I model (I'm a big programmer and would like to create a script for this) the path the object takes around the planet.

If the velocity is constant there is no path around the planet. Constant velocity means that the trajectory is a straight line. So there is nothing to program about it.
It is not enough to be good at programming to solve physics problems. It helps a lot if you spend some time to understand the physics and the meaning of the terms used in physics.
 

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