4 ms·
the answer is neither! It depends on your reference frame Someone is new to the idea of relativity. This is nonsense. The frame of reference describing the sun
by solipsism 10y ago
the answer is neither! It depends on your reference frame
Someone is new to the idea of relativity. This is nonsense. The frame of reference describing the sun rotating around the earth is not inertial (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inertial_frame_of_reference https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inertial_frame_of_reference) and thus does not follow the laws of physics we know and love. In short, "Nope, you cannot say the sun orbits the earth."
- drdeca 10y agoI thought that using a non-inertial reference frame just introduced a "fictitious force"? Is that not the case?
- empath75 10y agoYou're correct. The laws of physics get very strange in a stationary earth reference frame. Imagine the forces that would be whipping the distant stars around earth.
- nonbel 10y agoWell, I've made a solar system simulator before. Nothing great, but it was sufficient to convince me that is just a matter of perspective. The "law of physics" used was: d = sqrt(dx^2 + dy^2 + dz^2) F = G*m1*m2/d^3 That would just be summed up over all the objects included in the system. However, when visualizing the results, I could set (0,0,0) wherever I wanted. I could put it at the solar system barycenter, I could put it at the center of the sun, I could put at at the center of the galaxy (this leads to interesting vortex-like trails...), or I could put it at the center of the earth. The easiest was actually to use the solar system barycenter on an arbitrary date.