What I Learned
I built an N-body style simulation (Sun + planets) using Newtonian gravity and a Verlet integrator, then explored numerical stability (time-step choice vs. energy drift) and long-term orbital accuracy. Over multi-century runs the model correctly reproduced orbital periods and aphelion/perihelion values, and qualitatively captured Mercury’s apsidal precession. I also stress-tested Kepler’s Third Law by altering planetary masses and comparing period–semi-major axis scaling.
- Set up stable time steps to keep total energy fluctuations < 0.01%.
- Verified period–radius scaling consistent with Kepler’s Third Law.
- Practiced profiling, data logging, and visualising orbits.
- Sharpened numerical methods intuition (error sources, integrator choice).