Kepler's 3rd Law

Front

What is Kepler's 1st Law?

Back

The path of each planet about the Sun is an ellipse with the Sun at one focus of the ellipse.

Front

What is Kepler's 2nd Law?

Back

Each planet moves so that an imaginary line drawn from the Sun to the planet sweeps out equal areas in equal periods of time.

Front

What is Kepler's 3rd Law?

Back

The ratio of the squares of the periods of any two planets revolving about the Sun is equal to the ratio of the cubes of their mean distances from the Sun.

Front

What is the formula for Kepler's 3rd Law?

Back

T^2 / r^3 = constant, where T is the orbital period and r is the average distance from the Sun.

Front

What is the gravitational constant (G)?

Back

6.67 × 10^-11 N · m^2/kg^2.

Front

How do you calculate gravitational force?

Back

F = G * (m1 * m2) / r^2, where F is the gravitational force, m1 and m2 are the masses, and r is the distance between their centers.

Front

What is the average distance of Planet W from its star if its orbital period is 3,220,000,000 s and the star's mass is 5.44x10^31 kg?

Back

9.8E12 meters.

Front

What is the significance of Kepler's Laws in astronomy?

Back

They describe the motion of planets and provide a foundation for understanding celestial mechanics.

Front

What does the term 'orbital period' mean?

Back

The time taken for a planet to complete one full orbit around the Sun.

Front

What is an ellipse in the context of planetary orbits?

Back

An elongated circle, where the Sun is located at one of the two foci.