The Moon orbits Earth in a nearly circular orbit that lasts 27.32 days. Determine the distance from the surface of the Moon to the surface of Earth.
To determine the distance from the surface of the Moon to the surface of the Earth, we can use a combination of the Moon's average distance from Earth and the radius of both the Moon and the Earth.
1. Determine the average distance between the Moon and Earth:
The Moon's average distance from Earth is about 384,400 kilometers (238,900 miles). This value serves as our starting point.
2. Calculate the radius of the Moon:
The Moon has an average radius of approximately 1,737 kilometers (1,079 miles). We'll refer to this as RM.
3. Calculate the radius of the Earth:
The Earth has an average radius of approximately 6,371 kilometers (3,959 miles). We'll refer to this as RE.
4. Calculate the distance from the surface of the Moon to the surface of the Earth (center-to-center distance):
We subtract the Moon's radius (RM) and the Earth's radius (RE) from the average distance between the Moon and Earth.
Distance = Average distance - (RM + RE)
Plugging in the values:
Distance = 384,400 km - (1,737 km + 6,371 km)
Distance ≈ 384,400 km - 8,108 km
Distance ≈ 376,292 km
Therefore, the distance from the surface of the Moon to the surface of the Earth is approximately 376,292 kilometers (233,541 miles).
Physics busy work, I haven't seen that in years.
a. find orbit distance r, center to center.
b. subtract re, and rm
a. forcegravity=centripetal force
GMeMm/r^2=Mm*w^2 r
but w=2PIr/period
manipulate that around until you get r as a function of period. change period to seconds.
insert G, Me and you have r.
b. subtract re+rm