Question

A scientist observes that all gaseous planets take longer times to revolve around the sun than solid planets. Which of the following best explains why gaseous planets have longer revolution periods?

(A)Distance of gaseous planets from the sun is more than that of solid planets.
(B)Mass of gaseous planets is lighter than solid planets.
(C)Number of moons of gaseous planets is more than solid planets.
(D)Temperature of gaseous planets is colder than solid planets.

Answer 1

(A) Distance of gaseous planets from the sun is more than that of solid planets.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer is (A) the distance of gaseous planets from the sun is more than that of solid planets.

The time taken by a planet to revolve around the sun is determined by its distance from the sun and the gravitational force acting between them. According to Kepler's laws of planetary motion, planets that are farther from the sun take longer to complete their orbits than those that are closer.

Gaseous planets such as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are much farther from the sun than the solid planets, including Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. Thus, gaseous planets take longer to revolve around the sun than the solid planets.

The mass of a planet, the number of moons it has, and its temperature do not directly influence the time taken to complete an orbit around the sun. Therefore, options (B), (C), and (D) are incorrect.

Answer 2

Answer: (A)Distance of gaseous planets from the sun is more than that of solid planets.

Explanation: The gas and ice giant planets take longer to orbit the Sun because of their great distances. The farther away they are, the more time it takes to make one trip around the Sun. The densities of the gas giants are much less than the densities of the rocky, terrestrial worlds of the solar system. Gas giants are not all gas.