A particle with speed v0 and impact parameter b starts far away from a planet
of mass M. (a) Starting from scratch find the distance of closest approach to the planet.
(b) Use the results of the hyperbola discussion to show that the distance of closest approach to the planet is k/(ε + 1), and then show that this agrees with your answer to part (a).

Question

anonymous · Answer

What is the definition of an impact parameter?  I am not familiar with that term.