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When it comes to space and planets?

2007-08-22 11:51:20 · 7 answers · asked by DJ C 4 in Science & Mathematics Astronomy & Space

7 answers

well...kinda. We use the term orbiting in regards to planets, moons, etc. But something orbiting is revolving, but something revolving isn't necessarily orbiting...if you know what I mean.

And the person below me is confusing revolving with rotating. The Earth ROTATES around it's axis, but REVOLVES (orbits) about the sun.

2007-08-22 12:01:19 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

NO,

Orbiting means revolving around and object.

Revolving is more vague it can mean going in a circle or orbiting, or spinning on its axis’s.

For example the time travel thought experiment requires a black hole to be revolving around a certain point. Inside of that orbit the time space would be stressed enough that time travel would be possible. However, we don’t know of any technology that will let you survive that close to a black hole.

Wikitionary: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/revolving
Revolving = to revolve =
1. To orbit a central point.
The Earth revolves around the sun.
2. To turn on an axis.
The Earth revolves once every twenty-four hours.
3. To recur in cycles.
The program revolves through all the queues before returning to the start.
4. To ponder on.

Wikitionary: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/orbit
Orbit =
1. A circular or elliptical path of one object around another object.
The Moon's orbit around the Earth takes nearly one month to complete.
2. A sphere of influence; an area of control.
In the post WWII era, several eastern European countries came into the orbit of the Soviet Union.
3. The course of one's usual progression, or the extent of one's typical range.
The convenience store was a heavily travelled point in her daily orbit, as she purchased both cigarettes and lottery tickets there.
4. (anatomy) The bony cavity containing the eyeball; the eye socket.
5. (physics) The path an electron takes around an atom's nucleus.

Another word one type of revolving is an orbit. Obit is one possible type of revoling.

2007-08-22 19:52:19 · answer #2 · answered by Dan S 7 · 0 0

Revolving means to turn on an axis like the earth turns on its axis, an imaginary line that passes through the north and south geographic poles. An orbit is the path an object takes while under the influence of another body. The earth orbits the sun because we are under the sun's gravity influence. Both the sun and the earth revolve around their axes but the earth also orbits the sun just as the moon orbits earth.

2007-08-22 19:02:07 · answer #3 · answered by kevpet2005 5 · 1 1

It kind of depends on the context, but strictly-speaking they're different.

If I say an object is orbiting, it means that it is in the gravitational pull of another object and is basically 'falling' around the other object at a fast enough speed that it doesn't impact the other object. e.g. "The moon orbits the Earth"

If I say an object is revolving it normally means that it's spinning on its own axis. e.g. "The Earh revolves once every 24 hours."

Because the English language has lots of grey areas, we often say things like 'the moon revolves around the Earth' or 'the Earth revolves around the Sun'. It's actually more accurate to say 'orbits' instead of 'revolves' in those sentences.

Clear as mud right? :-)

2007-08-22 19:04:47 · answer #4 · answered by dbucciar 4 · 0 1

I'm a fifth grade teaching trying to teach these vocabulary words-and I'm confused! I'm beginning to realize that orbit is when a body goes around another body, and revolve is another word for rotate (to spin around), but when we talk about space, I think revolve is a better word than rotate.

So I thought I had it figured out, but then I went to brainpop, a realiable science video site for teachers, and they said REVOLVE, not orbit, is the word for a body moving around another body. and instead of using REVOLVE to mean spin around, they said ROTATE. So they didn't use the world revolve at all!!!

2007-08-23 11:09:03 · answer #5 · answered by retro_rok 1 · 0 0

Hi. Not usually. A body revolves around its own axis. It orbits around another body.

2007-08-22 19:05:51 · answer #6 · answered by Cirric 7 · 0 1

i think so

2007-08-22 19:09:20 · answer #7 · answered by Cheryl 4 · 1 1

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