Nautical word...

barycenter (n): A theoretical point 810 miles below the surface of planet Earth. This point is the rotational center of the Earth and Moon. The gravitational attraction between Earth and Moon affect the oceans and their tides; centrifugal forces result from their revolutions around the barycenter.

( above definition by Lenfestey/Lenfestey)

The barycenter is a definite consideration when examining the physics of tides, particularly the standing wave on the side of Earth opposite the position of the moon.

Did I ever tell you the story of how I met him?

My Father was a good friend of Clifford Simak who he met through his work at Hearst newspapers. At one time, he almost went with Simak to the Minneapolis Tribune, but stayed in Milwaukee.

Anyway, we had moved east when the two newspapers merged in Milwaukee. One day, when I was a junior in highschool, big time scifi geek, I came home after baseball practice and there sitting in the living room with some beer and munchies is my Dad, Clifford Simak and Issac Asimov. They were both in town for some writing symposium at Boston University.

For probably the only time in my life, I was speechless. :>) Two of my scifi heros sitting right in my livingroom. One I already knew and had talked to before, but man, THAT'S ISSAC ASIMOV!! :>)

And I must add that he was very gracious and made me very comfortable as I was obviously awed. And he spent some time talking to me about the books and completely floored me when he asked about my interests, my boat, sports...it was incredible.

Unfortunately, I had to leave for an AAU game and was only home to get my uniform and grab a sandwich. And I also have a letter he wrote me replying to a question I had about the Foundation series - framed.

Unfortunately he never had any compelling reason to visit my old home town in the snowbelt of upstate NY. :-)

"Chuck Gould" <chuckgould.chuck@gmail.com> wrote in message

Here's a link to a site that offers a free "gravity simulator" that demonstrates celestial bodies rotating around a common barycenter. I wasn't sure I wanted to download the required program to view it:

http://www.orbitsimulator.com/gravity/articles/barycenter.html

The barycenter is the barycenter - the center of mass of any system of objects.

Center of gravity is another whole subject.

Here's a link to a site that offers a free "gravity simulator" that demonstrates celestial bodies rotating around a common barycenter. I wasn't sure I wanted to download the required program to view it:

http://www.orbitsimulator.com/gravity/articles/barycenter.html

More like the center of rotation in regards to an outside object. A NEO Near Earth Object ie. asteroid would use the center of mass in it's path for a center of gravity. If it was the center of rotation of the earth and moon, we would be traveling like a corkscrew in our path around the moon. A fairly large corkscrew. Since the earth is about 8000 miles diameter, the center of rotation as you describe it being 810 miles from the surface, you would have an about 3200 mile diameter corkscrew.

http://www.geocities.com/cjstein_2000/dictionary.html

http://www.seatalk.info/

http://www.marinewaypoints.com/learn/glossary/glossary.shtml

Eisboch :-)

For example, it you had two bodies on the same plane orbiting each other, the barycenter is located in space between the two - it doesn't move as long as the masses are balanced by the mechanical motion.

Or take another case. Say you have a large rotating body around which a smaller, but massive body rotates. The barycenter is just above the surface of the larger body. The barycenter never changes position - it is the balance point, but the structure below it changes.

Good God, I haven't worked with these concepts in ages. I have a headache. :>)

But wait, it was already spinning...

No sympathy here. I've been reading Isaac Asimov's "Asimov on Physics" in my spare time. It is an incredibly lucid and readable account of some very esoteric concepts. Published in 1976 but available used on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Asimov-Physics-Isaac/dp/0380418487

Don't take things so personally Chuckbreath in......breath out..breath in(repeat).....

Have a nice night Chuck!

Thanks.

My personality has been kicked around enough already.

:-)

The nautical word item seems to generate quite a bit of on-topic discussion, doesn't it? I'll bet that's pretty surprising to somebody who wrote that the original nautical word posting was a "joke that everybody else got except you."

Life is full of surprises. Some of them pleasant.