Abstract

SANJINES C, Diego. ON THE MOON'S ORBITAL MOVEMENT. Revista Boliviana de Física [online]. 2014, vol.25, n.25, pp.23-25. ISSN 1562-3823.

We know that the Moon is acted upon by the Sun with a force which is approximately the double of that with which the Moon is acted upon by the Earth. What is therefore the reason for the Moon to stay in its orbit around the Earth? This question is presented here as an opportunity to review basic concepts in physics inherited from the traditional courses in science education. The problem of the Moon's movement is solved here with a minimum of approximations and we demonstrate that while the Earth and the Moon move simultaneously around the Sun, the influence of the Earth perturbs the Moon's movement such that its resulting relative movement respect to the Earth is approximately elliptic, as if the Earth laid in rest and we ignored the interaction between the Moon and the Sun. Subject headings: History of science - Orbital and rotational dynamics

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