The radius of Saturn's orbit around the Sun is about 10 times that of Earth. Complete the following statement: The period of Saturn is about
A)10 years.
B)30 years.
C)40 years.
D)90 years.
E)160 years.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to Kepler's Third Law of Planetary Motion, the period (P) of a planet's orbit around the Sun is proportional to the distance (r) from the Sun raised to the 3/2 power. Since Saturn's orbital radius is about 10 times that of Earth, we can calculate the period ratio as (10)^3/2 = 31.62. Therefore, the period of Saturn's orbit is about 31.62 times longer than the period of Earth's orbit, which is approximately one year. Thus, the period of Saturn is about 30 years (rounded to the nearest integer).

The Radius of Saturn's Orbit Around the Sun Is About