Kepler's third law (Law of Periods) gives the relation between the time period T and semi-major axis a of a planetary orbit as:
AT² ∝ a
BT² ∝ a²
CT² ∝ a³
DT ∝ a³
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. T² ∝ a³
1. Kepler's third law: square of the period of revolution is proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis.
2. T² ∝ a³, i.e. T² = k a³ where k is a constant for all planets of the Solar System.
3. This is confirmed in Table 7.1 of your syllabus, where T²/a³ is nearly the same for all eight planets.
_Source: syllabus Physics Ch 7 "Gravitation", §7.2 (Law of Periods + Table 7.1), p. 128–129_
Keep practising Gravitation
Browse all Gravitation questions for AP Intermediate 1st Year, or explore more Physics topics.
Related questions
Inside a hypothetical spherical shell of uniform mass distribution, the gravitational fielIf the radius of a planet shrinks to half while its mass is unchanged, the escape velocityA geostationary satellite orbits the Earth with a period equal to:The total mechanical energy of a satellite of mass m in a circular orbit of radius r arounEscape velocity from the Earth's surface (g = 9.8 m s⁻², R = 6.4 × 10⁶ m) is closest to:The escape speed from the surface of a planet of mass M and radius R is given by:At a depth d below the Earth's surface (d ≪ R), the acceleration due to gravity is approxiAt a height h above the Earth's surface (h ≪ R), the acceleration due to gravity g(h) is a