Runge–Lenz vector
Okay kiddo, have you ever seen a spinning top that keeps spinning and spinning without falling over? Just like that, scientists use something called a "Runge-Lenz vector" to understand the motion of planets and satellites that keep spinning in their orbits around the sun.
This vector helps scientists measure a property called "angular momentum" that describes how fast a planet or satellite is spinning around its own axis. The Runge-Lenz vector also helps scientists understand a big fancy idea called "conservation of energy" which means that the amount of energy in a system always stays the same (like how a spinning top's energy stays the same as it spins).
So, whenever scientists want to understand how a planet or satellite is moving in its orbit, they use the Runge-Lenz vector to measure its angular momentum and keep track of how much energy it has. Pretty cool, huh?
This vector helps scientists measure a property called "angular momentum" that describes how fast a planet or satellite is spinning around its own axis. The Runge-Lenz vector also helps scientists understand a big fancy idea called "conservation of energy" which means that the amount of energy in a system always stays the same (like how a spinning top's energy stays the same as it spins).
So, whenever scientists want to understand how a planet or satellite is moving in its orbit, they use the Runge-Lenz vector to measure its angular momentum and keep track of how much energy it has. Pretty cool, huh?