Kepler's second law,"a line joining any planet to the Sun sweeps out equal areas in equal times" is based on which conservation principle?
A)conservation of energy
B)conservation of linear momentum
C)conservation of angular momentum
D)the work-energy theorem
E)It is not based on any conservation principle.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Kepler's second law is based on the conservation of angular momentum, which states that an object will maintain constant angular momentum unless acted upon by an external torque. In the case of a planet orbiting the sun, the planet's distance from the sun changes over the course of its orbit, but its angular momentum remains constant. As a result, the speed of the planet must increase as it moves closer to the sun and decrease as it moves away in order to maintain constant angular momentum. This is what leads to the equal areas swept out in equal times.

Kepler's Second Law,"a Line Joining Any Planet to the Sun