Which does Kepler’s second law state about planetary motion
Kepler's second law, also known as the law of equal areas, states that an imaginary line connecting a planet to the sun sweeps out equal areas in equal periods of time. In other words, a planet moves faster when it is closer to the sun and slower when it is farther away. This law implies that the orbit of a planet is not a perfect circle but an ellipse, with the sun located at one of the foci of the ellipse.
Kepler's second law, also known as the law of equal areas, states that a line joining a planet to the Sun sweeps out equal areas in equal periods of time. This means that a planet moves fastest when it is closest to the Sun (perihelion) and slowest when it is farthest away (aphelion).
Kepler's second law, also known as the law of equal areas, states that a line connecting a planet to the sun sweeps out equal areas in equal time intervals. This law describes the speed of a planet as it orbits the sun.
To understand how Kepler came up with this law, let's take a look at how you can calculate the speed of a planet at different points in its orbit:
1. Start by considering a planet moving in an elliptical orbit around the sun.
2. Divide the orbit into small sectors or sections.
3. Measure the time it takes for the planet to pass through each sector.
4. Calculate the area of each sector using basic geometry (A = πr^2).
5. Observe that when the planet is closer to the sun (at perihelion), it covers a shorter distance in a given time interval.
6. When the planet is farther from the sun (at aphelion), it covers a greater distance in the same time interval.
7. Notice that the speed of the planet is not constant throughout its orbit; it is faster when closer to the sun and slower when farther away.
8. Kepler's second law concludes that even though the planet's speed varies, it will sweep out equal areas in equal time intervals in its elliptical orbit.
In summary, Kepler's second law states that a planet will move faster when it is closer to the sun, and slower when it is farther away. This law helps us understand how planets travel along their elliptical paths around the sun.