What does the y-intercept represent in Kepler's 3rd law relationship?

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The y-intercept in the log(T) versus log(a) plot represents half the logarithm of the constant K, which is derived from Kepler's third law as K = 4π²/GM. A y-intercept of -6.5 indicates a specific value for K in the context of the gravitational relationship between the satellite and the central body. The slope of the line should approximate 3/2, confirming the proportional relationship between the square of the period (T²) and the cube of the average distance (a³). The discussion emphasizes the connection between Kepler's laws and Newton's gravitational formula, illustrating how each can be derived from the other. Understanding these relationships enhances comprehension of orbital mechanics and celestial dynamics.
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Hi, just wondering if anyone could help me with this.

With a plot of log(T) against log(a) where 'T' is the period of satellite and 'a' the distance, I'm not sure what the y-intercept represents, something to do with the constant (4pi^2/GMm) I think, but not sure, any ideas?

Also, the y-intercept for me was -6.5, mean anything?

Thanks in advance

Nb, M>>m and M=ME :smile:
 
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Given a and T as average radius and orbit, Kepler's third law says that T2 is proportional to a3. That is, T2= Ka3.

If your graph of log(T) against log(a) is a straight line, then y= mx+ b or
log(T)= m log(a)+ b= log(am)+ b so that T= eb am.
The most important you should be able to derive from that is that your slope, m, should be, approximately, 3/2.

If you are really interested in what that "K" is, here is what I just did:

Since elliptic orbits are a nuisance, let's approximate by a circular orbit: imagine a satellite of mass m orbiting a body of mass M, in a circular orbit of radius R with angular velocity ω. Taking the center of the orbit as the origin of coordinate system, we can write the position vector as x= <R cos(ω t), R sin(ω t)>.
Differentiating gives the speed vector: v= x'= <-Rω sin(ω t), Rω cos(ωt)>.
Differentiating again gives the acceleration vector a= v'= <-Rω2 cos(ωt), -Rω2 sin(ω t) .
That is, the scalar value for acceleration is Rω2.
Since the force of gravity is \frac{-GmM}{R^2} and F= ma
we must have a= R\omega^2= \frac{GM}{R^2} or
\omega^2= \frac{GM}{R^3}.

Since sine and cosine both have period 2\pi, if T is the period of the orbit, \omega T= 2\pi so \omega = \frac{2\pi}{T} and \omega^2= \frac{GM}{R^3} becomes \frac{T^2}{4\pi^2}= \frac{R^3}{GM}. That is the "K" in T2= Ka3 is \frac{4\pi^2}{GM}. Since you graphed log(T) against log(a), your y-intercept is 1/2 the logarithm of that:
\frac{1}{2}log(\frac{4\pi^2}{GM})!

(What I did here, really, was use Newton's gravity formula to derive Kepler's third law. Newton did it the other way around: used Kepler's third law to derive the formula for gravity. Of course, he had to develop calculus in order to be able to do that!)
 
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Thanks HallsofIvy! It makes complete sense now, your derivation of kepler 3 really helps. Yeh, I got the slope as 3/2 so I knew I was doing something right :smile:
 
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