117k views
0 votes
The moon Phobos orbits Mars

(mass = 6.42 x 10^23 kg) at a distance
of 9.38 x 10^6 m. What is its period of
orbit?

1 Answer

1 vote

Answer:

The period of orbit of Phobos around Mars can be calculated using Kepler's third law, which relates the period of an object's orbit to its distance from the central body:

T^2 = (4π^2/GM)r^3

Where T is the period of the orbit, G is the gravitational constant, M is the mass of Mars, and r is the distance between the centers of Mars and Phobos.

Plugging in the values given, we get:

T^2 = (4π^2/6.6743 x 10^-11 m^3/kg s^2)(6.42 x 10^23 kg)(9.38 x 10^6 m)^3

T^2 = 27,647,801,632 s^2

Taking the square root of both sides, we get:

T = 1669.7 seconds or approximately 27.83 minutes

Therefore, the period of orbit of Phobos around Mars is approximately 27.83 minutes.

User Hugo Migneron
by
8.4k points