Question

If a planet with 1.5 times the mass of Earth was traveling in Earth’s orbit, what would its period be?

a) Same as Earth's period
b) Longer than Earth's period
c) Shorter than Earth's period
d) Cannot be determined

Answer 1

If a planet with 1.5 times the mass of Earth was traveling in Earth's orbit, its period would be the same as Earth's period.

Step-by-step explanation:

In order to find the period of a planet with 1.5 times the mass of Earth traveling in Earth's orbit, we can use Kepler's Third Law of Planetary Motion. According to this law, the square of the period of revolution of a planet around the Sun is proportional to the cube of its average distance from the Sun. Since the new planet is traveling in Earth's orbit, its average distance from the Sun would be the same as Earth's distance, which is approximately 150 million kilometers. Therefore, the period of the new planet would be the same as Earth's period, which is about 365 days.