All the following statements are true.Which one follows directly from Kepler's third law (p² = a³)?
A)Venus orbits the Sun at a slower average speed than Mercury.
B)Venus is more massive than Mercury.
C)Venus takes longer to rotate than it does to orbit the Sun.
D)Venus has a thicker atmosphere than Mercury.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Kepler's third law states that the square of the orbital period of a planet (p) is directly proportional to the cube of its semi-major axis (a³). A planet with a longer semi-major axis (a) will have a longer orbital period (p). Therefore, if we compare Mercury (which has the shortest semi-major axis of all the planets in our solar system) to Venus (which has a longer semi-major axis), we can conclude that Venus has a longer orbital period (takes longer to complete one orbit around the Sun) than Mercury. This means that Venus orbits the Sun at a slower average speed than Mercury.

All the Following Statements Are True