Final answer:
To find the mass of Saturn, we can use Newton's version of Kepler's third law. Given the orbital radius and period of Saturn's moon Mimas, we can use the equation p² = a³ to calculate the mass of Saturn. Using the provided data, the mass of Saturn is approximately 5.69 x 10^26 kg.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the mass of Saturn, we can use Newton's version of Kepler's third law. Kepler's third law states that the square of the orbital period of a planet or moon is proportional to the cube of its semimajor axis. We can use the equation p² = a³ to solve for the mass of Saturn. Given that the orbital radius of Mimas, a moon of Saturn, is 1.62 × 108 m and its orbital period is about 23.21 h, we can use this data to find the mass of Saturn.
First, convert the orbital period to seconds: 23.21 h = 23.21 x 60 x 60 s = 83,556 s. Next, plug the values into the equation p² = a³: (83,556 s)² = (1.62 × 10^8 m)³. Solving for a³, we get a³ = (83,556 s)² / (1.62 × 10^8 m)³ = 38.3 x 10^18 s²/m³.
Now, rearrange the equation to solve for the mass of Saturn: mass of Saturn = (a³ x 4π²) / (G), where G is the gravitational constant. Plug in the known values: mass of Saturn = (38.3 x 10^18 s²/m³ x 4π²) / (6.67 x 10^-11 N m²/kg²). Calculating this, we get a mass of Saturn of approximately 5.69 x 10^26 kg.