Which of the following statements best describes Kelper s 3 rd law of planetary motion?
A) The smaller the diameter of a planet, the faster its rotational period.
B) The orbital period of a planet directly proportional to the diameter of the planet.
C) The smaller the orbit, the longer its orbital period.
D) The larger the orbit, the longer its orbital period.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Kepler's 3rd law states that the square of the orbital period of a planet is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of its orbit. This means that the larger the orbit (semi-major axis), the longer the orbital period. Kepler's third law of planetary motion states that the square of a planet's orbital period is proportional to the cube of its average distance from the sun. This means that the larger the orbit (average distance from the sun), the longer the orbital period.

Which of the Following Statements Best Describes Kelper S 3