What is the basic difference between revolution and rotation in terms of physics and astronomy?
Also, can I have several equations used to differentiate both types of motions?
2007-08-20 11:43:53 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Rotation is the movement of a body around it's center of rotation, such as the Earth spinning.
A revolution is the motion of one body around another, such as the movement of the Earth around the Sun.
2007-08-20 11:50:24 · answer #1 · answered by gebobs 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rotation is like spinning in place... i.e. think of a person spinning a basketball on their hand. Revolution is the actual act of circling around another object. Think of the planets and their orbits around the sun, they revolve around it.
As for equations to differentiate between the two, Im sure there are parametric equations used in astrophysics for such distinguishment.
2007-08-20 11:59:49 · answer #2 · answered by revolutionist1985 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The moon rotates once on its axis in the same time it takes to revolve once around the earth. So a lunar day is an earth month long (actually about 29 1/2 earth days).
2016-05-18 03:22:38 · answer #3 · answered by valerie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The way I was taught to remember it is that a planet rotAtes on its Axis, and revOlves in its Orbit.
2007-08-20 13:09:29 · answer #4 · answered by GeoffG 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋