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From: gwyn@brl-smoke.ARPA (Doug Gwyn )
Newsgroups: net.puzzle,sci.physics
Subject: Re: Funny Orbits
Message-ID: <4921@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Date: Sun, 26-Oct-86 20:49:27 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-smok.4921
Posted: Sun Oct 26 20:49:27 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 27-Oct-86 05:28:59 EST
References: <352@linus.UUCP>
Reply-To: gwyn@brl.arpa (Doug Gwyn (VLD/VMB) <gwyn>)
Distribution: net
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab (BRL), APG, MD.
Lines: 7
Xref: watmath net.puzzle:2113 sci.physics:56

In article <352@linus.UUCP> bs@linus.UUCP (Robert D. Silverman) writes:
>Assume that an object in a circular orbit suddenly has its mass cut in half.
>What happens to the orbit?

This can't be answered without making some additional assumptions,
such as: it retains its previous momentum.  If you simply split
it into two halves, each half maintains the same orbit as before.