Kepler's Laws Quiz

Which of the following is one of Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion?

• Planets move on elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus.

• The gravitational force between two objects decreases as the distance increases.

• An object in motion remains in motion.

• Inner planets orbit in a different direction than outer ones.

An ellipse is drawn around two points called the…

• aphelion

• perihelion

• axis

• foci

Suppose the gravitational force between two massive spheres is 100 N. If the first mass is tripled (3m_1) , what is the new force between the masses?

• 33 N

• 50 N

• 100 N

• 200 N

• 300 N

Suppose the gravitational force between two massive spheres is 70 N. If the distance between the spheres is cut in half (½ d), what is the force between the masses?

• 280 N

• 140 N

• 70 N

• 35 N

• 17.5 N

The gravitational force of Earth on an object DOES NOT depend upon the object’s mass.

• True

• False

If you travel outside our solar system, then you can escape the gravitational force of Earth.

• True

• False

Kepler’s 2nd Law states that the area swept out by a planet’s motion will be the same regardless of where it is in its orbit. A comet moves much faster when it is closer to the Sun than when it is further out from the Sun. What is the primary cause in the change of the comet’s orbital velocity?

• Jupiter's gravitational field.

• The sun's solar wind.

• The sun's gravitational field.

• Saturn's magnetic field.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-4

The Moon orbits the Earth as the Earth orbits the Sun. The Moon’s orbit is elliptical, and changes its distance from the Earth by around 10 over the course of an orbit. Any ellipse has two centers, which are called foci. For the Moon’s orbit, what must exist at one of the two foci?

• The Earth

• The Sun

• The Moon

• Mars