Uranus moves in an elliptical orbit with the sun at one of the foci. The length of the half of the major axis is 2,876,769,540 kilometers, and the eccentricity is 0.0444. Find the minimum Distance (perihelion) of Uranus from the sun. Round your answer to nearest kilometer.
A)3,004,498,108 km
B)2,749,040,972 km
C)2,819,234,149 km
D)127,728,568 km
E)2,934,304,931 km

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

We can use the formula for distance at perihelion, which is $(1-e)a$, where $e$ is the eccentricity and $a$ is the length of half of the major axis.
$(1-0.0444) \cdot 2,876,769,540 \approx 2,749,040,972$.
Rounding to the nearest kilometer gives us choice B.

Uranus Moves in an Elliptical Orbit with the Sun at One