Physics

Problem

Astronomers plot

T^{2}

(in

\text{s}^{2}

) versus

R^{3}

(in

\text{m}^{3}

) for several planets orbiting a distant star and obtain a straight line whose slope is

2.5\times10^{-19}\,\text{s}^{2}\!\big/\!\text{m}^{3}

. Using this information, what is the best estimate of the star’s mass? a)

5.9\times10^{29}\,\text{kg}

9.4\times10^{31}\,\text{kg}

2.4\times10^{30}\,\text{kg}

6.0\times10^{28}\,\text{kg}