Find mean distance from asteroid Icarus to the sun

AI Thread Summary
To find the mean distance of asteroid Icarus from the Sun, Kepler's laws are applied using its orbital period of 410 days. The calculation initially attempted to use the period directly, resulting in an incorrect distance of 55.2 AU. The correct approach involves converting the period from days to years, yielding approximately 1.123 years. Once this conversion is made, the mean distance can be accurately calculated. This highlights the importance of using consistent units in Kepler's third law.
SnowOwl18
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Ok, I keep trying to do the following problem:

----The asteroid Icarus orbits the Sun like the other planets. Its period is about 410 days. What is its mean distance from the Sun?
(Hint: You can derive the mean distance with the paramters known for the Earth: Period of the Earth = 365 days Mean distance from the sum = 1.5e8km)----------------


Ok, so, using Kepler's laws I took 410 days and put it to the (2/3) power...and I got 55.2 AU...one AU (astronomical unit) equals 1.5e8 km...so I multiplied 55.2 by 1.5e8 km and got 8278414420 km...or 8.28e9 km...but the computer program says I'm wrong. Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong? Thanks.
 
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Hint: Look at your units.
 
which units? if one AU=1.5e8 I can multiply 55.2 by that to get the answer, right?
 
What units are you supposed to use in kepler's third law?
 
oh do i have to convert 410 days to years? like 1.123 years?
 
oh that worked! Thanks for your help :D
 
Yup! That's exactly right.
 
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