Question

What is the period of revolution about the Sun for an asteroid with a semimajor axis of 3 AU in the middle of the asteroid belt?

Answer 1

The period of revolution is 5.2 years.

Step-by-step explanation:

The period of revolution about the Sun for an asteroid can be found using Kepler's third law:

`p^(2) = a^(3)` (1)

Where:

p: is the period =?

a: is the semimajor axis (average distance from Sun) = 3 AU

By entering "a" value into equation (1) we have:

`p = \sqrt{a^(3)} = \sqrt{(3)^(3)} = 5.2 y`

Therefore, the period of revolution about the Sun for an asteroid in the middle of the asteroid belt is 5.2 years.

I hope it helps you!