Question

What statement accurately describes the area swept out by a line between a planet and the Sun according to Kepler's second law of motion?

Answer 1

Kepler's second law of motion, also known as the law of areas, states that a line segment joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of time. This means that if you measure the area swept out by this line over a certain time period, that area will be the same regardless of where the planet is in its orbit. As a result, the planet moves faster when it is closer to the Sun in its elliptical orbit and slower when it is farther away, ensuring that the areas are equal over the same time spans.