According to Kepler's third law, the square of the planet's period in years is:
A)equal to its perihelion distance from the Sun in A.U.
B)inversely proportional to its mass in kilograms.
C)equal to the fourth power of its average temperature in degrees Kelvin.
D)proportional to the cube of its semimajor axis in A.U.
E)equal to the square of its aphelion distance in A.U.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Kepler's third law states that the square of a planet's period (in years) is proportional to the cube of its semimajor axis (in AU) raised to a power of 3/2. Therefore, choice D is the correct answer. Kepler's third law states that the square of the period of a planetary orbit is directly proportional to the cube of its semimajor axis. Therefore, choice D is the correct option. The other options are not related to Kepler's third law.

According to Kepler's Third Law, the Square of the Planet's