Final answer:
In a binary star system, both stars orbit their center of mass. Kepler's third law can be used to relate the period of revolution of a star around its orbit to the radius of the orbit. Newton's reformulation of Kepler's third law can be used to calculate the sum of the masses of the two stars.
Step-by-step explanation:
In a binary star system, both stars orbit their center of mass. The star with the higher mass will be closer to the center of mass, while the star with the lower mass will be farther from it.
Kepler's third law states that the period (T) of revolution of a satellite around its planet is related to the radius (R) of the orbit according to the equation T^2 = k*R^3, where k is a constant.
Using Newton's reformulation of Kepler's third law, the sum of the masses of the two stars (M1 + M2) can be calculated using the formula D^3 = (M1 + M2) * T^2, where D is the semimajor axis of the orbit.