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The Physics Classroom(/) » Physics Tutorial(/class) » Circular Motion and Satellite Motion(/class/circles) » Kepler's Three
Laws
Circular Motion and Satellite Motion - Lesson 4 - Planetary and Satellite Motion
In the early 1600s, Johannes Kepler proposed three laws of planetary motion. Kepler was
able to summarize the carefully collected data of his mentor - Tycho Brahe - with three
statements that described the motion of planets in a sun-centered solar system. Kepler's
efforts to explain the underlying reasons for such motions are no longer accepted;
nonetheless, the actual laws themselves are still considered an accurate description of the
motion of any planet and any satellite.
Kepler's three laws of planetary motion can be described as follows:
The path of the planets about the sun is elliptical in shape, with the center of the sun
being located at one focus. (The Law of Ellipses)
An imaginary line drawn from the center of the sun to the center of the planet will
sweep out equal areas in equal intervals of time. (The Law of Equal Areas)
The ratio of the squares of the periods of any two planets is equal to the ratio of the
cubes of their average distances from the sun. (The Law of Harmonies)
(http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/circmot/ksl.cfm)
Observe that the T2/R3 ratio is the same for Earth as it is for mars. In fact, if the same T2/R3
ratio is computed for the other planets, it can be found that this ratio is nearly the same
value for all the planets (see table below). Amazingly, every planet has the same T2/R3 ratio.
Period Average T 2 /R 3
Planet
(yr) Distance (au) (yr 22/au 33)
(NOTE
NOTE: The average distance value is given in astronomical units where 1 a.u. is
equal to the distance from the earth to the sun - 1.4957 x 1011 m. The orbital
period is given in units of earth-years where 1 earth year is the time required for
the earth to orbit the sun - 3.156 x 107 seconds. )
Kepler's third law provides an accurate description of the period and distance for a planet's
orbits about the sun. Additionally, the same law that describes the T2/R3 ratio for the
planets' orbits about the sun also accurately describes the T2/R3 ratio for any satellite
(whether a moon or a man-made satellite) about any planet. There is something much
deeper to be found in this T2/R3 ratio - something that must relate to basic fundamental
principles of motion. In the next part of Lesson
4(http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/circles/u6l4b.cfm), these principles will be
investigated as we draw a connection between the circular motion principles discussed in
Lesson 1 and the motion of a satellite.
Investigate!
Scientists know much more about the planets than they did in Kepler's days. Use The
Planets widget bleow to explore what is known of the various planets.
a. Which scientist is credited with the collection of the data necessary to support
the planet's elliptical motion?
b. Which scientist is credited with the long and difficult task of analyzing the data?
c. Which scientist is credited with the accurate explanation of the data?
See Answer
2. Galileo is often credited with the early discovery of four of Jupiter's many moons. The
moons orbiting Jupiter follow the same laws of motion as the planets orbiting the sun. One
of the moons is called Io - its distance from Jupiter's center is 4.2 units and it orbits Jupiter
in 1.8 Earth-days. Another moon is called Ganymede; it is 10.7 units from Jupiter's center.
Make a prediction of the period of Ganymede using Kepler's law of harmonies.
See Answer
3. Suppose a small planet is discovered that is 14 times as far from the sun as the Earth's
distance is from the sun (1.5 x 1011 m). Use Kepler's law of harmonies to predict the orbital
period of such a planet. GIVEN: T2/R3 = 2.97 x 10-19 s2/m3
See Answer
4. The average orbital distance of Mars is 1.52 times the average orbital distance of the
Earth. Knowing that the Earth orbits the sun in approximately 365 days, use Kepler's law of
harmonies to predict the time for Mars to orbit the sun.
See Answer
Orbital radius and orbital period data for the four biggest moons of Jupiter are listed in the
table below. The mass of the planet Jupiter is 1.9 x 1027 kg. Base your answers to the next
five questions on this information.
Jupiter's Moon Period (s) Radius (m) T 2 /R 3
5 8
Io 1.53 x 105 4.2 x 108 a.
Europa 3.07 x 105 6.7 x 108 b.
Ganymede 6.18 x 105 1.1 x 109 c.
Callisto 1.44 x 106 1.9 x 109 d.
See Answer
6. What pattern do you observe in the last column of data? Which law of Kepler's does this
seem to support?
See Answer
7. Use the graphing capabilities of your TI calculator to plot T2 vs. R3 (T2 should be plotted
along the vertical axis) and to determine the equation of the line. Write the equation in
slope-intercept form below.
See Answer
8. How does the T2/R3 ratio for Jupiter (as shown in the last column of the data table)
compare to the T2/R3 ratio found in #7 (i.e., the slope of the line)?
See Answer
9. How does the T2/R3 ratio for Jupiter (as shown in the last column of the data table)
compare to the T2/R3 ratio found using the following equation? (G=6.67x10-11 N*m2/kg2
and MJupiter = 1.9 x 1027 kg)
T 2 / R 3 = (4 * pi 2 ) / (G * M Jupiter )
See Answer
Next Section:
Circular Motion Principles for Satellites(/class/circles/Lesson-4/Circular-Motion-Principles-for-
Satellites)
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