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Space objects pulled toward planets

Started by Andos Feb 27, 2003 at 7:34 AM 0 replies 300+ views

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Feb 27, 2003 at 7:34 AM

I once saw a game on the net where you had to shoot an object with a angle and speed. There were lots of "lanets" in the level that pulled the object towards it. The hwole point was to use the gravity to get the object into a little spaceship. How can i calculate the objects speed and angle if i have the position and mass of the planets... (the object whont be affected so much of a planets gravity if it''s far away from it...)

BeanDog

146

BeanDog

Feb 27, 2003 at 8:44 AM

You don''t calculate the speed and direction based on distance from the planets; you calculate its acceleration. Remember:
Vx(new) = vx(old) + a*time
X(new) = X(old) + Vx(old)*time + .5f*a*time*time

And for gravitation,

a = G*M/(r*r)
(before anyone complains it''s actually F=, notice I divided both sides by m already)

Where a = acceleration, G = universal gravitational constant (look up in a physics textbook or just make one up that works good), M = mass of planet, r = distance from ship to center of planet.

~BenDilts( void );

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