Lecture 4: Gravity

Question 1

Orbits and Energy

Answer 1

• Planets closer to the sun have higher velocities
• N-body orbits have no simple solutions

Question 2

Lagrange Points

Answer 2

• Five special points where all forces balance in a restricted 3-body problem
• L1, L2, and L3 are unstable, but L4 and L5 are stable