Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: A projectile is launched vertically from the surface of an isolated planet. It collides with and sticks to a satellite of equal mass that is initially moving in a circular orbit around the planet. Conservation of mechanical energy, angular momentum, and linear momentum are used to determine whether the combined object will subsequently crash into the surface of the planet, remain in orbit, or escape. The material is appropriate for undergraduate students in an introductory mechanics course.
Source: European Journal of Physics
Authors: Philip R Blanco, Carl E Mungan
Institutions: Grossmont College, United States Naval Academy
Language: English
Subfield: Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W1969449537