Solve Kepler's Law: Find Satellite's Period

In summary, Kepler's law states that the period of a satellite squared over its radius cubed is constant. Using this equation, we can find the period of an artificial satellite that is 7.5*10^3 km from the center of the earth by plugging in the values and solving for T^2. The resulting value may seem small, but it is possible and may need to be converted to a different unit of time.
  • #1
keeholee
3
0
Kepler's Law help!

Use this equation: T^2 of A / R^3 of A = T^2 of B / R^3 of B

The moon has a period of 27.3 days and has a mean distance of 3.9*10^5 km from the center of the earth. Find the period of an artifical satellite that is 7.5*10^3 km from the center of the earth.

How do i solve this?
 
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  • #2


Kepler's law states that the period of a satellite squared over its radius cubed is always constant.

Therefore, you can just plug the values into the equation and solve for T^2 of (the period of the artificial satellite).
 
  • #3


yes i got .075 for the period. but isn't that way too small considering the distance from center of the Earth to artifical satellite is bigger than the mean distance from the center of the Earth to the moon?
 
  • #4


The distance to the artificial satellite from the Earth is a whole 10^2 smaller, according to the question you posted. The moon is farther away. .075 days for the period however, seems off.
 
  • #5


oh yea Oo.


welll yea it is really off but is that possible? maybe its in Earth's i have to convert it or something? which i don't know how
 

What is Kepler's Law?

Kepler's Law is a set of three laws that describe the motion of planets and other objects in our solar system. These laws were developed by astronomer Johannes Kepler in the 17th century.

What is the first law of Kepler's Law?

The first law, also known as the Law of Ellipses, states that the orbit of a planet or satellite around the sun is in the shape of an ellipse with the sun at one of the focal points.

What is the second law of Kepler's Law?

The second law, also known as the Law of Equal Areas, states that a line connecting a planet or satellite to the sun will sweep out equal areas in equal amounts of time. This means that the object will move faster when it is closer to the sun and slower when it is farther away.

What is the third law of Kepler's Law?

The third law, also known as the Law of Harmonies, relates the orbital period and distance of a planet or satellite to its mass. It states that the square of the orbital period is proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of the orbit.

How do you use Kepler's Law to find a satellite's period?

To find a satellite's period using Kepler's Law, you will need to know the satellite's distance from the object it is orbiting and the mass of the object it is orbiting. You can then use the third law to calculate the satellite's period. The equation is T^2 = (4π^2/GM)r^3, where T is the period, G is the gravitational constant, M is the mass of the object being orbited, and r is the distance between the satellite and the object.

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