To: orionblamblam
If this dude wants to work out the mechanics of the solar system (or even the Earth-Luna system) in a truly geocentric frame of reference, he's welcome to do it. It's not impossible ... relativistic or classical mechanics certainly allow for it.
But it's a whole lot easier if you drop you frame of reference on the center of mass of whatever you're trying to model.
14 posted on
03/28/2006 12:17:50 PM PST by
ArrogantBustard
(Western Civilisation is aborting, buggering, and contracepting itself out of existence.)
To: ArrogantBustard; Physicist; orionblamblam; DoctorMichael
85 posted on
03/28/2006 12:51:20 PM PST by
RadioAstronomer
(Senior member of Darwin Central)
To: ArrogantBustard
Exactly!
The orbits would look like something generated by a Spirograph; but, would also be accurate -- in a relativistic sort of way.
To: ArrogantBustard
But it's a whole lot easier if you drop you frame of reference on the center of mass of whatever you're trying to model.Well, like, yeah. It's easier, but I like to think of the universe revolving around me!
184 posted on
03/28/2006 2:16:44 PM PST by
zeugma
(Anybody who says XP is more secure than OS X or Linux has been licking toads.)
To: ArrogantBustard; RadioAstronomer; longshadow
There is one advantage of a "heliocentric" (or elliptical focal centric) theory over the visually equivalent "geocentric" (or observer centric) theory.
For a geocentric system, the following law holds, "Things further from the focus move more slowly than things closer in." This fails in a geocentric system.
244 posted on
03/28/2006 7:18:26 PM PST by
Doctor Stochastic
(Vegetabilisch = chaotisch ist der Charakter der Modernen. - Friedrich Schlegel)
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