Question

The moon Phobos orbits Mars

(mass = 6.42 x 1023 kg) at a distance
of 9.38 x 106 m. What is its period of
orbit?

Answer 1

To calculate the period of orbit of the moon Phobos around Mars, we can use Kepler's third law which states that the square of the period of an orbit is proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of the orbit.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the period of orbit of the moon Phobos around Mars, we can use Kepler's third law which states that the square of the period of an orbit is proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of the orbit.

Given that the average radius of Phobos' orbit is 9.38 x 106 m, we can calculate the period as follows:

P2 = (4π2/GM) * r3

P = √[(4π2/GM) * r3]

Substituting the values of G (universal gravitational constant) and M (mass of Mars), we can calculate the value of P.