According to Kepler's third law (p² = a³),how does a planet's mass affect its orbit around the Sun?
A)A planet's mass has no effect on its orbit around the Sun.
B)More massive planets orbit the Sun at higher average speed.
C)More massive planets must have more circular orbits.
D)A more massive planet must have a larger semimajor axis.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Kepler's third law states that the square of the orbital period (p²) of a planet is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis (a³) of its orbit. This law implies that the period of a planet's orbit depends only on the size of the orbit, not the mass of the planet. Therefore, a planet's mass does not affect its orbit around the Sun according to this law.

According to Kepler's Third Law (P² = A³),how Does a Planet's