Keplers Laws Flashcard

Front

What does Kepler's 2nd Law state?

Back

During a planet's orbit, the planet will sweep out equal areas in its orbit in equal amounts of time.

Front

What is the path a planet travels around the sun called?

Back

Orbit.

Front

What shape has an eccentricity of zero?

Back

A circle.

Front

What does Kepler's 2nd Law deal with?

Back

The speed/area the planet travels.

Front

What is the eccentricity of a perfect circle?

Back

0.

Front

What are Kepler's three laws of planetary motion?

Back

1. The orbit of a planet is an ellipse with the sun at one focus. 2. A line segment joining a planet and the sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of time. 3. The square of the orbital period of a planet is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of its orbit.

Front

What is eccentricity in the context of orbits?

Back

Eccentricity is a measure of how much an orbit deviates from being circular.

Front

What is the formula for calculating the eccentricity of an ellipse?

Back

Eccentricity (e) = √(1 - (b²/a²)), where 'a' is the semi-major axis and 'b' is the semi-minor axis.

Front

What does a higher eccentricity value indicate about an orbit?

Back

A higher eccentricity value indicates a more elongated or elliptical orbit.

Front

What is the significance of Kepler's 1st Law?

Back

It states that planets move in elliptical orbits with the sun at one focus, which explains the varying distances between planets and the sun.