Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)
14th Edition
ISBN: 9781337399920
Author: Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher: Cengage Learning
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Textbook Question
Chapter 4, Problem 22RQ
Based Figure 4-13c, do planets with larger a take longer, shorter, or the same time to orbit the Sun?
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Students have asked these similar questions
One year on Planet AAA is 5 time the length of one earth year and it orbits its sun at an
average distance 4.38 AU. Planet ZZZ orbits the same sun at an average distance of
2.53 AU. Determine the length of one year on Planet ZZZ in earth days.
Determine what the period of revolution of the Earth would be if its distance from the Sun were 3.5 AU rather than 1 AU. Assume that the mass of the Sun remains the same. The final unit should be y in the answer.
roblem B.2: Distance of the Planets
The table below lists the average distance R to the Sun and orbital period T of the first planets:
Distance Orbital Period
Mercury 0.39 AU
88 days
Venus
0.72 AU
225 days
Earth
1.00 AU
365 days
Mars
1.52 AU
687 days
(a) Calculate the average distance of Mercury, Venus and Mars to the Earth.
Which one of these planets is the closest to Earth on average?
(b) Calculate the average distance of Mercury, Venus and Earth to Mars.
Which one of these planets is the closest to Mars on average?
(c) What do you expect for the other planets?
Hint: Assume circular orbits and use symmetries to make the distance calculation easier. You can
approximate the average distance by using four well-chosen points on the planet's orbit.
Chapter 4 Solutions
Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)
Ch. 4 - Prob. 1RQCh. 4 - Why did early human cultures observe astronomical...Ch. 4 - Prob. 3RQCh. 4 - Name one example each of a famous politician,...Ch. 4 - Why did Plato propose that all heavenly motion was...Ch. 4 - On what did Plato base his knowledge? Was it...Ch. 4 - Which two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional...Ch. 4 - Are the spheres of Eudoxus a scientific model? If...Ch. 4 - In Ptolemys model, how do the epicycles of Mercury...Ch. 4 - Describe in detail the motions of the planets...
Ch. 4 - In Ptolemys model, which of the followingepicycle,...Ch. 4 - Why did Copernicus have to keep small epicycles in...Ch. 4 - Was the belief held by ancient astronomers that...Ch. 4 - When Tycho observed the new star of 1572, he could...Ch. 4 - Assume the night is clear and the Moons phase is...Ch. 4 - Does Tychos model of the Universe explain the...Ch. 4 - Name an empirical law. Why is it considered...Ch. 4 - How does Keplers first law of planetary motion...Ch. 4 - When Mercury is at aphelion (farthest from the...Ch. 4 - Prob. 20RQCh. 4 - What is P for Earth? What is a for Earth? Do these...Ch. 4 - Based Figure 4-13c, do planets with larger a take...Ch. 4 - How did the Alfonsine Tables, the Prutenic Tables,...Ch. 4 - Explain how each of Galileos telescopic...Ch. 4 - How did discovery of the Galilean moons disprove...Ch. 4 - Prob. 26RQCh. 4 - How Do We Know? Describe the differences between a...Ch. 4 - Draw and label a diagram of the western horizon...Ch. 4 - If you lived on Mars, which planets would exhibit...Ch. 4 - How long does it take for one retrograde cycle of...Ch. 4 - If a planet has an average distance from the Sun...Ch. 4 - If a space probe is sent into an orbit around the...Ch. 4 - Uranus orbits the Sun with a period of 84.0 years....Ch. 4 - An object takes 29.5 years to orbit the Sun. What...Ch. 4 - One planet is three times farther from the Sun...Ch. 4 - Galileos telescope showed him that Venus has a...Ch. 4 - Which is the phase of Venus when it is closest?...Ch. 4 - Galileos telescopes were not of high quality by...Ch. 4 - Arrange the following in order of increasing...Ch. 4 - Arrange the following in order of increasing...Ch. 4 - Prob. 1LTLCh. 4 - Study Figures 4-11 and 4-16 and describe the...Ch. 4 - What three astronomical objects are represented...Ch. 4 - Use the figure below to explain how the Ptolemaic...
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