The distance between Sun and Earth is R. The duration of year if the distance between Sun and Earth becomes 3R will be:
Understand the Problem
The question is asking for the duration of a year when the distance between the Sun and Earth is tripled from R to 3R. This relates to gravitational or orbital mechanics in astronomy.
Answer
The duration will be $3\sqrt{3}$ years.
Answer for screen readers
The duration of a year when the distance between the Sun and Earth becomes $3R$ will be $3\sqrt{3}$ years.
Steps to Solve
- Understanding Kepler's Third Law
Kepler's Third Law states that the square of the period of a planet (or object) is proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis (average distance) of its orbit. Mathematically, it can be expressed as: $$ T^2 \propto R^3 $$
- Set Up the Original Orbit
Let the duration of a year when the distance is $R$ be $T_1$. Using Kepler's law, we have: $$ T_1^2 = kR^3 $$ where $k$ is the proportionality constant.
- Set Up the New Orbit
When the distance becomes $3R$, we denote the new period as $T_2$. According to Kepler's law: $$ T_2^2 = k(3R)^3 $$
- Calculate the New Period
Expand the expression for $T_2^2$: $$ T_2^2 = k \cdot 27R^3 $$ Now, we can relate this back to $T_1$: $$ T_2^2 = 27 \cdot kR^3 = 27T_1^2 $$
- Find the Duration of the Year
Taking the square root, we find: $$ T_2 = \sqrt{27} T_1 = 3\sqrt{3} T_1 $$
- Final Calculation
If the original duration $T_1$ is 1 year, then: $$ T_2 = 3\sqrt{3} \text{ years} $$
The duration of a year when the distance between the Sun and Earth becomes $3R$ will be $3\sqrt{3}$ years.
More Information
This result can be explained using the principles of orbital mechanics. The longer distance significantly increases the orbital period due to the change in gravitational dynamics.
Tips
- Confusing the proportionality constants when deriving relationships between periods and distances.
- Misapplying Kepler's laws or forgetting to include the effect of changing distance on the period.
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