Each of the following lists two facts. Which pair of facts can be used with Newton's version of Kepler's third law to determine the mass of the Sun?
A)The mass of Earth is 6 × 1024 kg and Earth orbits the Sun in one year.
B)Earth is 150 million km from the Sun and orbits the Sun in one year.
C)Earth rotates in one day and orbits the Sun in one year.
D)Mercury is 0.387 AU from the Sun and Earth is 1 AU from the Sun.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Newton's version of Kepler's third law states that the square of the period of an orbit (in years) is proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of the orbit (in astronomical units) and the mass of the central object (in solar masses). From the given facts in choice B, we know that Earth's period is one year and its semi-major axis is 1 AU (which is defined as the average distance from Earth to the Sun). Therefore, we can use Newton's version of Kepler's third law to solve for the mass of the Sun.

Each of the Following Lists Two Facts