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Highlights from
Numerical Methods for Physics

from Numerical Methods for Physics by Alejandro Garcia
Companion Software

orbrk.m
% orbrk - Program to compute the orbit of a comet
% using the 4th order Runge-Kutta method
clear; help orbrk; % Clear memory and print header
r0 = input('Enter initial radial distance - ');  % (au)
r = [r0 0];    % Initial position is on x-axis
v0 = input('Enter initial tangential velocity - '); % (au/yr)
v = [0 v0];    % Initial velocity is in y-direction
tau = input('Enter time step, tau - ');  % (yr)
GM = 4*pi^2;      % Grav. const. * Mass of Sun (au^3/yr^2)
mass = 1.;        % Mass of projectile 
%%%%% MAIN LOOP %%%%%%
time = 0;
nstep = 200;      % Total number of time steps
state = [ r(1) r(2) v(1) v(2) ];
for istep=1:nstep
  rplot(istep) = norm(r);       % Record orbit for polar plot
  thplot(istep) = atan2(r(2),r(1));
  tplot(istep) = time;          % Record time for plot
  kinetic(istep) = .5*mass*norm(v)^2;  % Record energies
  potential(istep) = - GM*mass/norm(r);
  % Calculate new position and velocity
  state = rk4(state,time,tau,'gravrk',GM);
  r = [state(1) state(2)];  % Unravel position and velocity
  v = [state(3) state(4)];  % from state vector
  time = time + tau;   
  fprintf('Finished %g steps out of %g \n',istep,nstep);
end
% Graph the trajectory of the comet
subplot(121)
  polar(thplot,rplot,'+')  % Polar plot of orbit
  grid                     % Put grid on the plot
  ylabel('Distance (AU)')
  title('Orbital motion')
subplot(122)
  totalE = kinetic + potential;  % Total energy
  plot(tplot,kinetic,'-.',tplot,potential,'--',tplot,totalE,'-')
  xlabel('Time (yr)')
  ylabel('Energy')
  title('KE(dot); PE(dash); Total(solid)')
subplot(111)

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