As a way to understand orbital motion, I’ve seen the idea of “Newton’s cannonball,” illustrated below from Wikipedia:
In this thought experiment, a cannon at the top of a tall mountain fires a cannonball at increasing velocities, until eventually it moves so fast that it achieves orbit.
Problem: Model a projectile being launched into orbit in this manner, and visually explore the transition between falling to Earth and orbiting.
Continue reading “Launch to Orbit, Part 1”
Advertisements
