get_momentum: Total linear and angular momentum of a simulated system

In orbitr: A Tidy Physics Engine for Building and Visualizing Orbital Simulations

Total linear and angular momentum of a simulated system

Description

'get_momentum()' computes the total linear momentum \mathbf{P} = \sum_j m_j \mathbf{v}_j and 'get_angular_momentum()' the total angular momentum about the origin, \mathbf{L} = \sum_j m_j \mathbf{r}_j \times \mathbf{v}_j, at every time step of a simulation.

Usage

get_momentum(sim_data)

get_angular_momentum(sim_data)

Arguments

sim_data

A tibble output from [simulate_system()].

Details

Both are conserved exactly by Newtonian gravity, because every force comes in an equal and opposite pair directed along the line between the two bodies. The Velocity Verlet and Euler-Cromer integrators also conserve both to floating-point rounding, at any time step, so a drift in either points to a problem in the setup rather than the step size. A system whose total momentum is not zero has a center of mass that drifts at a constant velocity; see 'shift_reference_frame(sim_data, "barycenter")'.

Value

A tibble with one row per time step: 'time, px, py, pz' (kg m/s) for 'get_momentum()', and 'time, Lx, Ly, Lz' (kg m^2/s) for 'get_angular_momentum()'.

Examples

# A binary built with zero total momentum
sim <- create_system() |>
  add_body("A", mass = 2e30, x = 5e10, vy = 15000) |>
  add_body("B", mass = 1e30, x = -1e11, vy = -30000) |>
  simulate_system(time_step = seconds_per_hour, duration = seconds_per_year)

get_momentum(sim)          # px, py, pz all zero to rounding
get_angular_momentum(sim)  # Lz constant to rounding

orbitr documentation built on Oct. 2, 2026, 1:06 a.m.