ASL
Remember: Law 2; A line joining a planet/comet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas in equal intervals of time.
This means that each hour the area swept out is the same.
You know the total area. You know the number of hours it takes the Moon to go around the Earth.
You can calculate the area swept out each hour.
ASL
Now you can find the speed for these hourly movements.
You need to remember the area of a triangle. Area = 1/2 the base * the height.
The height is the distance from the earth to the moon.
The base is the part of the ellipse that the moon traverses. We will assume the base is a straight line.
You know the area.
Use the area and the height to find the base.
ASL
Since the base was traversed in one hour it is the distance the moon travels per hour or the speed per hour.
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Do this calculation for the shortest (perigee) and longest (apogee) heights.
ASL
You now have the Moon's fastest and slowest speeds.
ASL
Now transfer these calculations to a spreadsheet.
Use a cell to input the apogee.
Use a cell to input the perigee.
Use a cell for the period of revolution in hours.
Use cells for each of the above calculations.
This spreadsheet will help you calculate the range of speeds for all of the planets.
If you look on the internet you can find perigee, apogee and orbital period for several comets and asteroids.
Your nifty spreadsheet will find the range of speeds for all of these objects!!
ASL
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