According to Kepler’s second law of motion, which statement describes the area swept out by a line between a planet and the sun?(1 point)
Responses
It is constant for equal times.
It is constant for equal times.
It increases as the planet moves away from the sun.
It increases as the planet moves away from the sun.
It is constant if the planet moves at a constant speed.
It is constant if the planet moves at a constant speed.
It increases as the planet approaches the sun.
It increases as the planet approaches the sun.
According to Kepler's second law of motion, the correct statement describing the area swept out by a line between a planet and the sun is: "It is constant if the planet moves at a constant speed."
According to Kepler's second law of motion, the statement that describes the area swept out by a line between a planet and the sun is: "It is constant if the planet moves at a constant speed."
To understand how this statement aligns with Kepler's second law, it's important to have a basic understanding of the law itself. Kepler's second law, also known as the law of equal areas, states that a line segment drawn from a planet to the sun will sweep out equal areas in equal amounts of time.
This means that if a planet is moving at a constant speed, it will cover equal distances in equal time intervals. Consequently, the area that the planet sweeps out during these equal time intervals will also be equal. Therefore, the statement "It is constant if the planet moves at a constant speed" accurately reflects Kepler's second law.
It's worth noting that the other statements in the question are incorrect. The area swept out by the line between a planet and the sun does not increase as the planet moves away from the sun or approaches the sun, as stated in the other options. Instead, it remains constant as long as the planet's speed is constant.