Kepler's third law states that the square of a planet's orbital period is directly proportional to the cube of its semi-major axis, or orbital radius.
In other words, if we have two planets within a solar system, one with a longer orbital period and a larger orbital radius than the other, the ratio of their orbital periods squared will be equal to the ratio of their orbital radii cubed.
For example, if Planet A has a period 2 times longer than Planet B, then the ratio of the orbital periods squared would be (2)^2 = 4. If Planet A also has an orbital radius 3 times larger than Planet B, then the ratio of the orbital radii cubed would be (3)^3 = 27.
Therefore, the comparison between the periods and orbital radii of the two planets is that the ratio of the orbital periods squared is equal to the ratio of the orbital radii cubed.
How does Kepler’s third law compare the periods and orbital radii of two planets within a solar system?(1 point)
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1 answer