Which is correct about the Earth-sun system?(1 point)
a. The sun is at one focus of the Earth’s elliptical orbit.
b. Newton’s laws determined rules to describe the motion of objects orbiting the sun.
c. Earth stays the same distance from the sun throughout its orbit.
d. Kepler’s laws identify the force shaping Earth’s orbit.
a. The sun is at one focus of the Earth’s elliptical orbit.
d. Kepler’s laws identify the force shaping Earth’s orbit.
To determine which statement is correct about the Earth-sun system, let's go through each option:
a. The sun is at one focus of the Earth’s elliptical orbit.
To verify if this statement is correct, we can refer to Kepler's laws of planetary motion. According to Kepler's first law, also known as the law of orbits, planets orbit the sun in elliptical paths with the sun located at one of the foci of the ellipse. Therefore, statement "a" is correct.
b. Newton’s laws determined rules to describe the motion of objects orbiting the sun.
Newton's laws of motion indeed provide a comprehensive framework for describing the motion of objects, including those orbiting the sun. Newton's laws explain how gravitational forces between celestial bodies influence their motion. Hence, statement "b" is correct.
c. Earth stays the same distance from the sun throughout its orbit.
This statement is not accurate. According to Kepler's second law, or the law of areas, a planet sweeps out equal areas in equal times. This implies that a planet moves faster when it is closer to the sun and slower when it is farther away. Therefore, Earth does not stay at the same distance from the sun throughout its elliptical orbit. Hence, statement "c" is incorrect.
d. Kepler’s laws identify the force shaping Earth’s orbit.
Kepler's laws primarily describe the motion of planets and do not explicitly identify the force shaping Earth's orbit. However, they provide a mathematical framework to understand the laws governing planetary motion. The force shaping Earth's orbit is gravity, as derived from Newton's law of universal gravitation. Thus, statement "d" is incorrect.
To summarize, the correct statements about the Earth-sun system are:
a. The sun is at one focus of the Earth’s elliptical orbit.
b. Newton’s laws determined rules to describe the motion of objects orbiting the sun.