Question: 1) Kepler's third law, p2 = a3, means that A) the period of a planet does not depend on its mass. B) planets that are farther from the Sun move at slower average speeds than nearer planets. C) a planet's period does not depend on the eccentricity of its orbit. D) all orbits with the same semimajor axis have the same period. E) All of the above are correct.
2) From Kepler's third law, a hypothetical planet that is twice as far from the Sun as Earth should have a period of A) 1/2 Earth year. B) 1 Earth year. C) more than 2 Earth years. D) 2 Earth years. E) It depends on the planet's mass.
3) From Kepler's third law, an asteroid with an orbital period of 8 years lies at an average distance from the Sun equal to A) 4 astronomical units. B) 2 astronomical units. C) 16 astronomical units. D) 8 astronomical units. E) It depends on the asteroid's mass.
4) Kepler's second law, which states that as a planet moves around its orbit it sweeps out equal areas in equal times, means that A) a planet travels faster when it is nearer to the Sun and slower when it is farther from the Sun. B) a planet's period does not depend on the eccentricity of its orbit. C) the period of a planet does not depend on its mass. D) planets that are farther from the Sun move at slower average speeds than nearer planets. E) planets have circular orbits.
5) The point along a planet's orbit where it is closest to the Sun is called the orbit's A) aphelion. B) semi-major axis. C) perihelion. D) eccentricity. E) period.
6) Why did Tycho conclude that the Sun revolves around the Earth? A) He did not conclude that the Sun revolves around the Earth. B) Long-held tradition prevented him from even considering the idea. C) He could not detect the parallax of stars expected if the Earth revolves around the Sun. D) He incorrectly measured the distance to the Sun and concluded it was in a low orbit around the Earth.
7) What led Kepler to abandon circular orbits and his discovery that planetary orbits are ellipses? A) a desire to gain prestige by using a more complicated model B) a deviation between observed and model values that was much larger than the observation uncertainties C) the observation of a comet moving on a highly eccentric orbit