Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-1-paper-of-the-university-of-oxford/2021-resit/9/b/solution
Past exam of the physics 1 paper of the University of Oxford 2021 resit 9 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
Retain the unchanged-angular momentum assumption of the preceding part. The initial orbit has radius , and the desired pericentre distance is . Using givesThe required fractional increase in initial kinetic energy is thereforeHere because the instantaneous kick does not change potential energy. Since the initial total orbital energy is , an alternative convention for the requested fractional energy change givesThe total orbital energy becomes less negative. Explicitly specifying its denominator avoids interpreting a positive energy input as a decrease of energy.
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