A physicist launches two asteroids in circular orbits with identical angular momenta.Asteroid A's orbit has twice the radius of Asteroid B's orbit.How do their orbital velocities compare to each other?
A) Asteroid A moves faster than Asteroid B.
B) Asteroid A moves slower than Asteroid B.
C) Asteroid A moves at the same speed as Asteroid B.
D) The velocities of both asteroids vary along their orbits.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to Kepler's second law, the orbital velocity of a planet is inversely proportional to its distance from the Sun. In other words, the closer a planet is to the Sun, the faster it moves, and the farther away it is, the slower it moves. Since Asteroid A's orbit has a larger radius than Asteroid B's orbit, it must move slower than Asteroid B to conserve angular momentum. Therefore, the correct answer is B, Asteroid A moves slower than Asteroid B.

A Physicist Launches Two Asteroids in Circular Orbits with Identical