Step by step solution to "Could one calculate the relative speed of the..."

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Advanced Physics

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Open question

2022-08-20

Could one calculate the relative speed of the Sun viewed from the Earth?

Answer & Explanation

skinklil0

Beginner2022-08-21Added 5 answers

Yep, we know the distance from the Earth to the sun, and we know the Earth's rate of rotation. If we imagine the Sun orbited around the Earth, the observed duration of a day wouldn't change, so

ω

remains the same.
We know for circular motion

v = r ω

, so just approximating it as an actual circle gives us

r_{e a r t h - t o - s u n} ω_{e a r t h}

where

r_{e a r t h - t o - s u n}

is the separation of their centres of masses.

r_{e a r t h - t o - s u n} \approx

150 million kilometers or 93 million miles.

r_{e a r t h - t o - s u n} = 150000000 * 10^{3} m

ω_{e a r t h} = 7.2921159 \times 10^{- 5} r a d / s

The fake-tangential-velocity is then

150000000 * 10^{3} * 7.2921159 \times 10^{- 5} = 10938173.85

So the apparent tangential velocity is then

10938173.85 m / s

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