B Two-body Kepler problem where the Sun is at rest in a coordinate system orbited by another body

AI Thread Summary
In the two-body Kepler problem with the Sun at rest, the coordinate system is not inertial due to the gravitational interaction between the Sun and the orbiting body. The Sun experiences an equal and opposite force from the orbiting mass, indicating that the system is accelerated. The barycentric frame, which considers the center of mass, is inertial and serves as a more accurate reference for analyzing the orbits of both bodies. The discussion emphasizes the importance of using reduced mass and relative coordinates for precise solutions in such problems. Overall, the reasoning presented highlights the complexities of defining inertial frames in gravitational systems.
DrToby
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The two-body Kepler problem where the Sun is at rest in a coordinate system orbited by another body: is the coordinate system an inertial reference system or not? Please no yes/no answers. A bit of elaboration is appreciated towards why and which principles apply.
 
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If the Sun is at rest, you are using the Sun's rest frame. Is the Sun affected by any forces that might make it accelerate?
 
Suppose the other body has the same mass as the sun, as in e.g. a binary star system. Would you expect either body to be at rest in an inertial coordinate system?
 
The Sun is orbited by another mass. The origin of a coordinate system is placed at the center of the Sun. The Sun pulls on the mass with a given force. According to Newtons third law the Sun is pulled towards the mass with an equal force. Hence the coordinate system is accelerated and hence it must be a non-inertial coordinate system. An inertial coordinate system is defined as a system for which Newtons 1. law is valid. Is all this reasoning correct?
 
DrToby said:
An inertial coordinate system
Called the Center Of Mass frame of reference. The same trick is used to reduce many two body problems to modified "one body" ones
 
DrToby said:
Is all this reasoning correct?
Yes.

The barycentre is the point about which both Sun and planet orbit. The barycentric frame is inertial, and the barycentre is one of the foci of the ellipses of both bodies' orbits.
 
Thank you for confirmation. Nice to find people to discuss stuff with.
 
The problem you describe is not what you want . It is an approximation for very disparate masses. The usual exact solution involves reduced mass and relative coordinates, and the sun is not at rest in the chosen coordinate system. It would be good to read carefully all previous answers as well as any good freshman text.
 
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