Question

In the following image, what conclusion can you draw about the speed of the planet at location A compared to location B? (2 points)

A diagram showing the orbit of a planet around the sun. When the planet moves through the part of its orbit labeled A, it is closer to the sun than it is when it moves through the part of its orbit labeled B.

When the planet is at A it is moving faster than at B.

When the planet is at A it is moving slower than at B.

There is no change in speed for the planet at either A or B.

The orbital speed of the planet is the square of the distance between A and B.

Answer 1

When the planet is at A it is moving faster than at B.

Step-by-step explanation:

From Kepler's second law, the line joining planet to the star sweeps equal area in equal amount of time. This decides the speed of the planet at different locations in its elliptical orbit around the star. The position closer to the star (At A) the speed would be greater as compared to the position away from the star (At B) in accordance with the law.

Answer 2

The answer is; When the planet is at A it is moving faster than at B.

This is because when the planet is closer to the sun at point A, it is experiencing a stronger gravitation, by the sun, pull than at point B. Therefore, its acceleration due to gravity at point A is higher than at point B.