Eccentricity as a vector: a concise derivation of the orbit equation in celestial mechanics

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In this Subject: Physics (General)
By this author: Bringuier E.

Author: Bringuier E.

Source: European Journal of Physics, Volume 25, Number 3, 14 May 2004 , pp. 369-372(4)

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Abstract:

In celestial mechanics, qualitative and quantitative analyses of an orbit are usually based on the conserved angular momentum and total energy of the motion. It is shown that angular momentum and the eccentricity vector defined herein permit a much more concise derivation at the undergraduate level.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0143-0807/25/3/004

Publication date: 2004-05-14