Peer reviewed
Direct linkERIC Number: EJ775670
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2003-Sep
Pages: 4
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-9120
EISSN: N/A
Changing Speed of Comets
Follows, Mike
Physics Education, v38 n5 p429-432 Sep 2003
It is shown that highly elliptical orbits, such as those of comets, can be explained well in terms of energy rather than forces. The principle of conservation of energy allows a comet's velocity to be calculated at aphelion and perihelion. An example asks students to calculate whether they can run fast enough to escape from a small asteroid. (Contains 2 figures and 4 tables.)
Descriptors: Energy, Astronomy, Science Instruction, Physics, Energy Conservation, Teaching Methods, Computation
Institute of Physics Publishing. The Public Ledger Building Suite 929, 150 South Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 215-627-0880; Fax: 215-627-0879; e-mail: info@ioppubusa.com; Web site: http://journals.iop.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
