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Jody’s Physics Research Jody’s Physics Research ProjectProject
A study on the orbital velocities of a binary star system orbited by a single
star.
GravityGravity
Some think that money makes the world go ‘round, but they’re wrong. It’s gravity!
Gravity keeps us on the ground. Gravity keeps the earth rotating around the Sun. And, gravity allows us to see comets up close and personal (not always a good thing).
Binary Star SystemsBinary Star Systems
“Half of all stars in the sky are members of binary systems.”
Binary star systems consist of two stars that orbit around a point called the center of mass.
Common OrbitsCommon Orbits
One TheoryOne Theory
Collapsing Nebula
Consider...Consider...
Multiple star systems exist. They are just like binary star systems, but with more stars.
It’s difficult to tell whether a binary system may have a third star orbiting far away. This star is still effected by the systems gravity, but it may take hundreds of years to pass through one orbit.
For example, astronomers hypothesize that our Sun may have a “stellar companion” of low mass beyond Pluto. Cool huh!
My ProjectMy Project
I am interested in looking at a binary system that is orbited by a single star. Specifically, I want to explore the stability of the orbit (by looking at the velocity) as it depends on the distance.
BAB A A
The FormulaThe Formula
F=Gm1m2/r² F=ma=mv²/r Set them equal to each
other. Do math. v=½(Gm/r)^½
m=3.00e24kg mB=6.00e24kg
G=6.672e-11Nm²/kg² r=2.5e8m
Important GraphImportant GraphOrbit Deviation
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Distance (million meters)
Sta
nd
ard
De
via
tio
n
Series1
ConclusionConclusion
My hypothesis was that the variation of the velocities would be less as the two systems were placed further apart.
I’m kind of wrong. Looking at the graph, there are two places where the data is inconsistent with this theory.
Why?Why?
Well, I am using a computer simulation. It computes velocities but as it continues through the simulation, it becomes less accurate (or something like that).
The second reason could be experimenter error. I noticed the orbital graphs were not repeating. So, I stopped the simulation when I guessed I had gathered enough data.
Future PlansFuture Plans
I’ll probably try to fix these problems and try again. Or…
I would like to try my original hypothesis which was similar to this one except with two binary systems.
I’m still fascinated by multiple-star systems and would like to continue in that area. It’s a shame I can’t measure the real thing!!
Jody’s Physics Research Jody’s Physics Research ProjectProject
Thank you!
