Vis-viva Equation - Vis Viva Equation

Vis Viva Equation

For any Kepler orbit (elliptic, parabolic, hyperbolic or radial), the vis viva equation is as follows:

where:

  • is the relative speed of the two bodies
  • is the distance between the two bodies
  • is the semi-major axis (a>0 for ellipses, or =0 for parabolas, and a<0 for hyperbolas)
  • is the gravitational constant
  • are the masses of the two bodies

Read more about this topic:  Vis-viva Equation

Famous quotes containing the word equation:

    A nation fights well in proportion to the amount of men and materials it has. And the other equation is that the individual soldier in that army is a more effective soldier the poorer his standard of living has been in the past.
    Norman Mailer (b. 1923)