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Old June 22nd, 2003, 08:14 AM
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Default Re: Tractor Beams: can they pull you in, then slingshot you out the other way?

Quote:
Originally posted by Taera:
capnq - your right, but there is the g equation which im lazy enough to not go and find my physics datasheet to see.
F = GmM/(d^2)
Quote:
Originally posted by Taera:
the difference between Earth's and Sun's mass is quite enough to overcome the acceleration difference. As a matter of fact, on universal scale, the sun is moving faster than the earth does.
That depends on how you measure. If you measure both in the same frame of reference on a universal scale, the earth is moving faster than the sun for significant portions of the year, and slower for others. However, total distance traveled (measured as the crow flies, not by path taken) is approximately equal over large periods of time, as the Earth stays within a particular range of the Sun. As the Earth revolves around the Sun much more than the Sun revolves around the Earth, the Earth travels much more total distance (by path traveled) in that time, and so spends most of its time traveling faster than the Sun.
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