What shape is the moon's orbit around Earth?
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2 points
an ellipse that is elongated
a spiral
a circle
an ellipse that is almost circular
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The shape of the moon's orbit around Earth is an ellipse that is almost circular.
Which did Kepler notice FIRST about planetary motion that caused him to propose Kepler’s first law of orbital motion?
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2 points
The planets have circular orbits.
The distance between Mars and the sun is constant.
The planets speed up and slow down but cover the same area.
Most planets have highly elliptical orbits.
The answer is "The planets speed up and slow down but cover the same area." This observation led Kepler to propose his first law of orbital motion.
For which project would knowledge of Kepler's laws prove most useful?
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2 points
calculating the mass of Earth
determining the structure of the solar system's planets
putting a communications satellite in Earth orbit
measuring the distance between Earth and the moon
Knowledge of Kepler's laws would prove most useful for determining the structure of the solar system's planets. Kepler's laws describe the motion of bodies in orbit around a central celestial object, such as planets around the sun. Therefore, understanding these laws would provide valuable insights into the arrangement and behavior of the planets in the solar system.
A line between a planet and the sun sweeps out two equal areas at different places as it moves along its orbit. Which factor remains constant as this happens?
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2 points
the time the planet takes to sweep out the areas
the distance from the sun to the planet while it sweeps out the areas
the planet’s speed as it sweeps out the areas
the energy required to sweep out the areas
The factor that remains constant as a line between a planet and the sun sweeps out two equal areas at different places is the planet's speed as it sweeps out the areas. According to Kepler's second law of planetary motion, the line connecting a planet to the sun sweeps out equal areas in equal time intervals. Since the areas are equal, the time taken to sweep them out must also be equal, meaning the planet's speed remains constant.
A highly eccentric orbit, such as a comet, will have an eccentricity of 0.
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1 point
True
False
False.
A highly eccentric orbit, such as a comet, will have an eccentricity greater than 0. The eccentricity of an orbit is a measure of how much it deviates from a perfect circle. A value of 0 represents a perfect circle, while values between 0 and 1 indicate an ellipse with varying degrees of elongation or eccentricity. Therefore, a highly eccentric orbit will have an eccentricity greater than 0.