Revolution under the influence of a central force

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The discussion revolves around the misunderstanding of Earth's rotation and its effect on the day-night cycle. One participant argues that without Earth's rotation, there would still be a change in day and night due to its revolution around the Sun, which is contested by others who assert that a point on Earth's surface would not change its position relative to the Sun without rotation. The conversation includes analogies, such as tying a pebble to a string, to illustrate how rotation affects orientation. Participants emphasize the importance of distinguishing between rotation and revolution, noting that without rotation, a point on Earth would face the same star continuously, resulting in a year-long day. The thread concludes with a call for mathematical representation of these concepts to clarify the discussion further.
  • #31
A.T. said:
Yeah, I got that. Just though that the concept of negative days might be confusing.
You are right. There is a separate formula for retrograde rotation, which gives positive days. But I would rather use one formula with negative numbers than two formulas with positive numbers.
 

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