基于VPython的天体轨道运动模拟与可视化

Simulation and visualization ofthe orbital motion of celestial body based on VPython

运动、力、动量、能量是大学物理教学最基本且重要的内容.在牛顿力学中,如果已知初始条件,对于有序系统可以预测其未来的运动状态,牛顿力学在天文学上的处理是最成功的.本文基于万有引力定律和动量定理,借助计算机软件VPython模拟天体的运动过程,例如卫星、月球绕地球的运动,火星绕太阳的运动,卫星绕双星系统的运动,直观地显示了天体运动轨迹,使天体运动过程实现了可视化.教学实践表明基于VPython的天体轨道运动模拟与可视化,可以使学生更好地理解并灵活运用牛顿运动定律和动量定理,是对经典物理教学内容的有益补充.

The concepts of motion,force,momentum,energy of objects are basic and very important in the teaching of College Physics.In Newton mechanics,the future motion state can be predicted for an orderly system if the initial condition is given.Newton mechanics makes a great success in astronomy.In this paper,by using universal law of gravity,the theorem of momentum and combining the VPython software,the motion of the celestial body is studied.The special examples discussed in detail are the satellite and the moon orbiting with the earth,the Mars rotating about the sun,and the satellite moving around the binary star,etc.The path and the moving process could be visualized intuitively in real time.The teaching experience indicated that simulating and visualizing the orbital motion of celestial body based on VPython is a very powerful method to improve student’s ability of understanding and applying Newton’s law of motion and theorem of momentum.