Which of the following best describes the property of the period of orbital revolution for an Earth satellite?
A)greater when the orbital radius is smaller
B)greater when the orbital radius is larger
C)independent of the orbital radius
D)determined mainly by the satellite's mass

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Kepler's third law states that the period of an orbit is proportional to the square root of the semi-major axis of the orbit. The semi-major axis is essentially the average distance between the orbiting object and the Earth. Therefore, as the orbital radius (semi-major axis) increases, the period of revolution will also increase.

Which of the Following Best Describes the Property of the Period