Orbital Definition and 820 Threads

  1. J

    What Causes the Sinusoidal Waviness in UARS Orbital Altitudes?

    Please see the graph http://makanaka.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/nasa-uars1-recent_orbital_history.png My question: what exactly gives rise to the sinusoidal waviness of apogee and perigee in altitudes below 570km?
  2. T

    Discovering mass of a star and orbital period of one of two planets

    Homework Statement Two newly discovered planets follow circular orbits around a star in a distant part of the galaxy. The orbital speeds of the planets are determined to be 41.7 km/s and 55.5 km/s. The slower planet's orbital period is 8.04 years. (a) What is the mass of the star? (b)...
  3. C

    Orbital hybridization and lone electrons

    Do single non bonding electrons (i.e. on a free radical) always occupy non hybrid orbitals? For example the methyl radical has trigonal planar molecular geometry so the lone electron must occupy a p orbital. Why doesn't it occupy an sp3 orbital instead?
  4. D

    What is the orbital velocity at pericenter and apocenter

    One way of lifting a satellite into geosynchronorous orbit is to use the space shuttle to lift it into a circular, low-earth orbit(h=300km) and then use a booster rocket to place the satellite on a hohmann transfer orbit up to a circular geosynchronous orbit. what is the orbital velocity of the...
  5. M

    Orbital Nodes (Diagrams of Psi/Psi^2)

    I am having a hard time understanding the nodes on the graphs of Ψ for atomic orbitals. Take for example, the graph of Ψ for a 2s orbital as seen on the left here: http://winter.group.shef.ac.uk/orbitron/AOs/2s/wave-fn.html The graph intersects at two points, but these two intercepts represent...
  6. L

    Calcuate Orbital Speed (without using distance)

    How would I go about calculating the orbital speed of a planet without using the distance of its path. In other words, only using the motion around the plane of ecliptic? My first thought was using the angle of the path somehow, but I'm a bit stumped here. Thanks for any input!
  7. O

    How Do You Calculate the Orbital Period of a Satellite?

    Homework Statement An Earth satellite is observed to have a height of perigee of 100 n mi and a height of apogee of 600 n mi. Find the period of the orbit. Homework Equations (1) Period = (2*pi/sqrt(mu)) * A^(2/3) (2) rp+ra = 2A Where: Mu is the Standard Gravitational Parameter...
  8. B

    Would a Deimos/Phobos orbital resonance affect Mars?

    Currently Jupiters moon's Io, Europa, and Ganymede are in a Laplace resonance. If Mars's moon's Phobos and Deimos were in such a Laplace resonance (1:1, 2:1, 4:1, 8:1) would it affect Mars? If yes, please explain how you feel it would...
  9. F

    Find Orbital Elements given Orbital State Vectors

    Hi everyone, I've been banging my head against this problem for a few days now so I'm ready to find some help with it. In short, I have a set of orbital state vectors(a position vector and velocity vector) describing an object's starting position, as well as the mass of the focus, and I...
  10. A

    Electron Orbital: Ellipticity in Atom Systems

    The orbits of planets have some ellipticity. Is there any corresponding ellipticity in the orbital of electrons? Are we able to see some ellipticity at least for a many electron atom, if not for the Hydrogen like atoms? I expect to see some ellipticity. We solve the Hydrogen atom problem...
  11. Q

    What Do the Slanted Arrows Mean in Orbital Energy Levels?

    Ok, I know that the S, P, D, and F represent blocks (groups of elements) on the periodic table. I know that the numbers represent rows on the periodic table. But what about the arrows? What's with the business of "increasing energy"? Why are the arrows slanted...
  12. K

    Planet orbital location database

    I wrote a program in java to simulate gravity in 3 dimensional space between any number of objects, and i wanted to test if it works. i managed to find the data for the Earth and the sun and tried those out and the sun acted as a slingshot for the earth. i would like to know if i could find...
  13. E

    Orbital effect of a sudden change to G

    If the gravitational constant suddenly changed, would the Earth change its orbital radius r' such that the new G'M'/r'^2 equals todays GM/r^2. If not how?
  14. E

    Orbital Shift Hohmann transfer Isp Roket Fuel mass calculation

    1. The launch vehicle takes the moon orbiter to a circular orbit around the Earth at 300km altitude. The orbiter is to perform a Hohmann transfer to a Lunar orbit, entering into a circular lunar orbit at 50km altitude. The objective of the mission is to put a 200kg orbiter around the Moon. The...
  15. J

    On orbital mechanics and the standard model

    Some Questions on Lagrange Points – According to Wicki, a Lagrange point is The Lagrangian points are the five positions in an orbital configuration where a small object affected only by gravity can theoretically be stationary relative to two larger objects (such as a satellite with respect...
  16. G

    Exploring the Role of Orbital Angular Momentum in Atomic Structure

    What is orbital angular momentum? Is it associated to the revolution of electron around nucleus?
  17. S

    Orbital mechanics- change of inclination

    Homework Statement I'm trying to solve this problem: What's the delta-v required to change a satellite's inclination from Earth's to Mars' plane? Where should the plane change be done for the minimum velocity change? ( Satellite's transfer will be done with Hohmann transfer orbit.)Homework...
  18. M

    How Is the Orbital Period of a Satellite Determined?

    Homework Statement by using Newtons law of universal gravitaion and the relationship for the centripetal force, show that the orbital period T for a satellite circling a planet of mass M in orbit of radius r is given by : T= 2pi sqrt r^3/GM Homework Equations none given The...
  19. T

    Why s-p orbital overlap is stronger than s-s overlap?

    will the same amount of charge present at higher concentration in the binding region(between two nuclei), give a stronger bond, compared to the same amount of charge present at a lower concentration in the binding region? if so, could it be explained. is this the reason why s-p overlap is...
  20. B

    How Do You Calculate Orbital Period with Limited Data?

    Homework Statement An Earth station receives data transmitted back in time from a future intergalactic expedition. The table summarizes the data for the moons of a planet that will be discovered in a distant galaxy. Moon 1: only has orbital radius = 5E7 meters Just only this...
  21. A

    Molecular Orbital Diagrams, learning how to draw?

    Hi, So I'm a phd student of physics, but my research overlaps a little with inorganic chemistry, specifically transition metal oxides and spectroscopies of them. I can glean some information MO diagrams and find them quite useful when writing about what I'm doing... however it's difficult to...
  22. H

    Is it possible to find orbital velocity depending on time?

    A satellite is in orbit around earth, (you know G, mass of earth, etc. but NOT the radius) is it possible to find orbital period?
  23. B

    The orbital eccentricity change of the Earth ?

    Can someone answer one, some or all these questions; Is the orbit of the Earth right now getting more circular or more elliptical? How much? How can we be sure?
  24. R

    Expression for orbital eccentricity

    Homework Statement From Prussing and Conway (Q1.11): derive an expression for the eccentricity e in terms of the initial speed v, radius r, and flight path angle x (they use gamma). Homework Equations (1) h^2 = mu*a*(1-e^2) [a is semimajor axis, mu is gravitational parameter] (2) h =...
  25. J

    Chemistry Molecular orbital theory of heterodiatomics?

    Homework Statement What determines the order of the Molecular orbitals in heterodiatomics? The Attempt at a Solution In my book, I have NO with an order of 1s 2s 3s 1p 2p 4s Where s means sigma and p means pi. Also sometimes I see in the book the ordering being 1sigma...
  26. J

    How does a cathode ray eject inner orbital electrons?

    (Since this is a coursework question and not a homework question, I deleted the template) Both my chemistry and physics textbooks cite cathode rays as having the ability to excite or eject electrons from an atom (e.g., dielectric breakdown, x-ray spectroscopy). How can a stream of negatively...
  27. E

    Where's the energy go for planets axis inclined from orbital plane?

    As we know from gyroscopes, the axis of a spinning object remains in the same orientation. For example, for a spinning object traveling in a straight line, the line of travel we could call a plane and the spin axis in the direction of travel could be perpendicular to the plane and the spin axis...
  28. M

    Atom Comparison: 3s Orbital Proximity to Nucleus in Br, Cl, At, and I

    Homework Statement The question is.. In which of the following atoms is the 3s orbital closet to the nuclues... Br,Cl,At,I first off how are those atoms in the 3s orbital? I thought the 3s orbital where Na and Mg?
  29. C

    Astrophysics: nuclear reactions orbital period spectral class equivalence principl

    Homework Statement 1. Suppose you are told that a star has been observed with a UBV color index of B-V=1.6 and that interstellar reddening is negligible. In addition, its apparent visual magnitude is 9.8. Detailed spectroscopy also reveals that the star has all the characteristics of a main...
  30. B

    Orbital angular momentum and kinetic energy

    Homework Statement Please see attached. I have two questions: how does pr get to be -ihbar (D/Dr + 1/r) ? where does the extra factor of D/Dr come from? one comes from r.del, but what about the other? surely div (r/r) = 2/r? Also, why does [r,pr]=-ih[r,D/Dr] = ih? surely...
  31. P

    Orbital angular momentum of O2

    Hi, I have read several texts where it says that the paramagnetic behavior of O2 molecule is due to two unpaired electrons in a degenerate pi* orbital. I have not read, however, any comment about the orbital angular momentum of these pi* states. Is there any reason why the orbital...
  32. C

    Orbital elements within a gravity simulator problem

    hey everyone i hope to find the answer to my troubles here :) basically i have written a gravity simulator, it loads bodies from a file containing information on each body. using the orbital elements on each body taken from nasa's HORIZON system, i calculate the position and velocity of...
  33. M

    Calculating Orbital Speed and Period of a Weightless Satellite

    [b]1. Homework Statement : An artificial satellite revolves about the Earth at height H above the surface. If the radius of the Earth is R, calculate the orbital speed and the orbital period such that a person in the satellite will be weightless. Homework Equations The Attempt at a...
  34. S

    If Earth's orbital speed doubled, would its mass and gravity double?

    I am not all that great at mathematics or physics or anything like that, though it does interest me a great deal and I am just trying to better understand the theories, so please bare with me here. I have read that the closer an object gets to traveling at the speed of light its mass...
  35. P

    ** Question related to Orbital speed of star, Keep getting *10^4 to high?

    *Please Help* Question related to Orbital speed of star, Keep getting *10^4 to high?? Homework Statement A star has a mass of 2.2*1030kg, there is a planet of mass 4.5*1027kg orbiting it at a distance of 3.1*1011m (also told that it has a "period of wobble" of 9.2*107s due to the orbiting...
  36. O

    How Many Atomic Orbitals in 2s and 6f Subshells?

    i asked to find the number of Atomic orbital of: principal quantum number(n) and the orbital Angular momentum quantum number (L) of the orbital 2s tell me if i correct n=2 and the Angular momentum L=0 ? and in the orbital 6f n=6? and L=3? thanks.
  37. S

    Astrophysics - calculating orbital period

    Homework Statement Show that a satellite in low-Earth orbit is approximately P = C(1 + 3h/2R_E) where h is the height of the satellite, C is a constant, and R_E is the radius of the earth) Homework Equations Unsure The Attempt at a Solution I have no idea how to approach this.
  38. G

    Normalization coefficient of sp2 hybrid orbital

    How to obtain the coefficients of normalized wavefunction for the hybrid orbital in sp2 hybridization (esp in BH3) , which normally in surds? In what way symmetry affect the linear combination of the atomic orbitals ? Will appreciate if anyone could help or provide some beginning guides , thanks...
  39. A

    Bohr model find orbital radius for electron

    Homework Statement In the Bohr model, the electron is imagined to move in a circular orbit about a stationary proton. If the speed of the electron were 8.9e5 m/s, what would be the corresponding orbital radius? Homework Equations The Attempt at a SolutionFe=ma Fe=ma a=Fe/m (v^2)/r=(kqq/r)/m...
  40. W

    Orbital Perpetual Motion Generator

    I'm probably going to make a fool of myself for asking this, but that's what the anonymity of the internet is for right? (That and other things that you probably won't find at a physics forum) If I understand correctly, and I may well not, the reason you cannot build a device that will...
  41. M

    Calculating Orbital Velocity Ratios for Planets A and B

    Planet A and planet B are in circular orbits around a distant star. Planet A is 8.5 times farther from the star than is planet B. What is the ratio of their speeds Va/Vb This problem seems very simple, thought i could just use F=1/r^2, find the difference in forces, which would also be the...
  42. S

    Understanding Orbital Motion and Energy Levels in Hydrogenic Atoms

    I am analysing the motion of the electron and the nucleus of a hydrogenic atom. I know that the two particles, so to speak, rotate their common centre of mass and that the two-body system is identical with respect to the predictions (e.g. energy) borne out by the system to a one-body system of...
  43. H

    Calculating Orbital Period of Asteroid Between Mars & Jupiter

    Homework Statement An asteroid is located between Mars and Jupiter. It is thought that a planet once orbited here but was somehow destroyed and broken up into small chunks(perhaps by getting hit by a comet or asteroid). If an asteroid in this belt has an average distance from the sun of 500 *...
  44. M

    Larmor Frequency spin, orbital or total angular momentum?

    Larmor Frequency...spin, orbital or total angular momentum?? For an electron bound in an atom, its orbital angular momentum L precesses around the magnetic field applied B, at the Larmor Frequency...or is it that its TOTAL L precesses around B, while L precesses around this, and its spin...
  45. T

    Understanding Orbital Mechanics and the Concept of Sustained Circular Orbit

    When in orbit, a satellite is 'falling' with an accelerating velocity as per the simple gravity formula. Yet the Earth is 'dropping' away from the satellite at a constant rate since it is spherical. This means that the 'left over' value between those two rates should cause the satellite to...
  46. jinksys

    Orbital Angular Momentum of the Sun-Jupiter System

    Homework Statement In part A I know that I must use L = mu*Sqrt[GMa(1-e^2)], but for the variable 'a' do I use the semi-major axis of Jupiter or the semi-major axis of the reduced mass? Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution
  47. B

    Wave function (orbital) rotation matrix

    Dear friends, I've come across this questions when studying biatomic molecules. Here's my problem: You have the following two wave functions: Psi_1 = px(A) + px(B) Psi_2 = py(A) + py(B) here px(A) is the px orbital wave function of the A nucleus, px(B) of the B nucleus and so on...
  48. E

    What is the potential of tethers for space exploration and satellite propulsion?

    How fast would a satellite need to travel to mantain an orbit of 30 statue miles above sea level?
  49. S

    Does the Reduced Mass Trace an Ellipse in a Rotating Two-Body System?

    In a system of two rotating masses about a point (i.e, the sun), would the reduced mass (used for calculations) trace out another ellipse?
  50. G

    Exploring 3D Orbital Patterns of Planets in the Solar System

    I was wondering, after reading a few posts on various things related to 'The clockworks of the solar system' such as angular velocity and orbital periods,in a 3-dimensional sense, are planets orbital paths all over, or are they flat on one plane, varying in only 2 dimensions? i imagine it...
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