As a general proposition, calculating an order-of-magnitude estimate of a physical effect requires an understanding of 50% of the physics, while an exact calculation requires about 75%. We’ve reached ...As a general proposition, calculating an order-of-magnitude estimate of a physical effect requires an understanding of 50% of the physics, while an exact calculation requires about 75%. We’ve reached the point where it’s reasonable to attempt a variety of order-of-magnitude estimates.
We now calculate the geodetic effect on Gravity Probe B, including all the niggling factors of 3 and π. To make the physics clear, we approach the actual calculation through a series of warmups.
