Orbital Motion
Physics: Edexcel IGCSE, topic 8.1.4
Orbital Motion
Objects in space orbit around one another. Their motion follows the orbital motion equation.
Orbital motion
- The orbital motion equation governs the motion of bodies orbiting in space:
- Orbital speed = 2 × π × orbital radius ÷ time period.
- v = 2 π r ÷ T
Test yourself on Orbital Motion
Which of these follows the orbital motion equation?
The distance between the Earth and the Sun is 150 million km. We orbit the Sun with a time period of 1 year. What is our orbital speed on Earth?