Physics
Physics
Problem
Earth takes 1.00 year to revolve around the Sun at an average distance of 1.00 AU. The average distance of Mars from the Sun is 1.52 AU. Calculate the orbital period of Mars in Earth years (give your answer correct to one decimal place).Intuitive explanation
This problem is about Kepler's Third Law, which relates orbital period to orbital distance. The key insight is that the square of an object's orbital period is proportional to the cube of its orbital distance from the Sun—so you don't need to know any gravitational constants. Set up a ratio comparing Earth and Mars: since both orbit the same star, their period-to-distance relationships follow the same mathematical rule, letting you solve for Mars's unknown period directly.
Intuitive explanation
This problem is about Kepler's Third Law, which relates orbital period to orbital distance. The key insight is that the square of an object's orbital period is proportional to the cube of its orbital distance from the Sun—so you don't need to know any gravitational constants. Set up a ratio comparing Earth and Mars: since both orbit the same star, their period-to-distance relationships follow the same mathematical rule, letting you solve for Mars's unknown period directly.