Mechanics related WWW links

Here are some useful links to web pages that are related to Classical Mechanics:

What is the role of the professor in "teaching" students?

This applet shows how a damping force effects the motion of a harmonic oscillator.

This applet shows how the center of mass of a thrown hammer describes a smooth parabolic path, regardless of the rotational motion of the hammer about the center of mass.

Gravitational Slingshot Effect

This applet shows how a close encounter with a moving planet can give a spacecraft a "free" boost in speed.

Kepler's laws

This applet illustrates Kepler's laws of planetary motion with a simulated orbit.

Satellite Orbits

This applet lets you try to set up a satellite orbit (qualitative only).

NASA moon bombing

NASA fires projective into moon's surface to learn about its composition. For extra credit, do this problem:

A rocket is initially in a circular orbit around the moon, at a distance r_0 from the moon's center. Take the radius of the moon as R, and assume that r_0 = 2.5 R. If the rocket's thrusters are fired in the forward direction, what fractional change in speed is needed in order that the rocket hit the moon? Assume that the speed change is very fast compared to the motion of the rocket.