Kepler's Laws of Motion

Front

What does Kepler's first law state about the orbit of a planet?

Back

The orbit of a planet is an ellipse with the Sun at one of the foci.

Front

What is located at the other focus of a planet's elliptical orbit?

Back

An empty point in space.

Front

Where does a planet move faster in its orbit?

Back

From Position A to B.

Front

What is the definition of an orbit?

Back

The path an object takes as it revolves around another object.

Front

What shape has an eccentricity of zero?

Back

A circle.

Front

How does a planet's speed change as it moves in its orbit?

Back

A planet moves slower when it is farthest from the sun.

Front

What is the significance of the foci in an elliptical orbit?

Back

One focus is the Sun, and the other is an empty point in space.

Front

What does eccentricity measure in an orbit?

Back

Eccentricity measures the deviation of an orbit from being circular.

Front

What happens to a planet's speed as it approaches the Sun?

Back

The planet moves faster as it gets closer to the Sun.

Front

What is the relationship between a planet's distance from the Sun and its orbital speed?

Back

The closer a planet is to the Sun, the faster it moves in its orbit.