The discussion revolves around the forces acting on the Moon when considered from the Sun's inertial frame of reference. Participants explore gravitational influences and the relevance of fictitious forces in this context.
Participants generally agree on the gravitational forces acting on the Moon but disagree on the relevance of centrifugal force in an inertial frame. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the conceptual understanding of forces versus motion in this context.
There is an ongoing exploration of the definitions and implications of fictitious forces versus real forces in an inertial frame, as well as the role of the Moon's velocity in its orbital dynamics.
Sounds good. I suspect the effect of other planets would be negligible.menager31 said:+gravity form the Sun
+gravity from the Earth
Centrifugal force is a "fictitious" force that appears when viewing things from a non-inertial rotating frame; it's not relevant in an inertial frame.+centrifugal force from the rotationary movement of the Moon round the Earth
What prevents the moon from falling into the Earth is its speed, not a force. If you were to remove gravity, the moon would just keep going in a straight line.alvaros said:How do you call the force that prevents the moon falling into/to the Earth ?