Kepler's laws of planetary motion
- The radius of Martian orbit around the Sun is about 4 times the radius of the orbit of Mercury. The Martian year is 687 Earth days. Then which of the following is the length of 1 year on Mercury ? Answer: 1. 88 earth days Key idea: Kepler's third law, T²∝ r³ . fracT_MarsT_Mercury=(fracr_Marsr_Mercury)^(3/2)=4^(3/2)=8 T_Mercury=687/8≈86... 1
- The kinetic energies of a planet in an elliptical orbit about the Sun, at positions A, B and C are K_A, K_B and K_C, respectively. AC is the major axis and SB is perpendicular to AC at the position of the Sun S as shown in the figure. Then Answer: 3. K_A>K_B>K_C By conservation of angular momentum (Kepler's second law), a planet moves faster when it is closer to the Sun, so its... 1