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Kepler’s laws

Source: licencja: CC 0.

Prawa Keplera

You will learn
  • how the motion of planets is described by the three Kepler’s laws,

  • to explain the three Kepler’s law.

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nagranie abstraktu

Before you start, answer the question.

  • What parameters describe ellipses?

The motion of the planets is described by the three Kepler’s laws. These laws were derived for planets orbiting the Sun, but they apply to satellite orbits as well.

1Indeks górny st Kepler’s law
Definition: 1Indeks górny st Kepler’s law
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nagranie abstraktu

The law of orbits - All planets move in elliptical orbits, with the Sun at one focus.

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Eliptic orbit of a planet
Source: GroMar, licencja: CC BY 3.0.
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nagranie abstraktu

The perihelionperihelionperihelion is the point of any orbit around the Sun where the planet comes closest to the Sun. The aphelionaphelionaphelion, is the point in which the distance of the planet to the Sun is the largest. For any satellite orbiting the Earth such points are called perigeeperigee perigee and apogeeapogeeapogee, respectively.

The distance between the perihelionperihelionperihelion and aphelionaphelionaphelion is called major axis.

The mean distance of the planet to the Sun is expressed as:

a=rmax + rmin2

which corresponds to the length of the semi‑major axis of the orbit.

2Indeks górny nd Kepler’s law
Definition: 2Indeks górny nd Kepler’s law
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The law of areas – A line that connects a planet to the Sun sweeps out equal areas in equal times.

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Ilustracja interaktywna przedstawia elipsę symbolizującą orbitę planety, w której ognisku znajduje się Słońce (żółta kula). Zaznaczone są zakreskowanymi liniami dwa obszary (wycinki elipsy) zakreślone przez poruszającą się planetę po orbicie. Po lewej stronie elipsy numer 1, po prawej stronie elipsy numer 2. Na ilustracji widoczne są numery, a na nich podpisy. 1. perihelion {audio}, 2. aphelion {audio}.
Illustration of the second Kepler’s law
Source: GroMar, licencja: CC BY 3.0.
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nagranie abstraktu

The speed at which any planet moves on its orbit is constantly changing. The hatched areas in the picture will be the same, if the times of the planet’s motion along the corresponding fragments of elliptic path are equal. In consequence, the planet moves the fastest around perihelionperihelionperihelion and the slowest in the aphelionaphelionaphelion.

3Indeks górny rd Kepler’s law
Definition: 3Indeks górny rd Kepler’s law
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The law of periods – The square of the period of any planet is proportional to the cube of the semi‑major axis of its orbit:

T12a13=T22a23

The indices 1 and 2 denote the semi‑major axes and the periods of the planets 1 and 2, respectively.

The Kepler’s third law implies that the period of a planet orbiting the Sun increases rapidly with the radius of its orbit.

Task 1
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The ratio T2a3 is nearly the same for every planet. Find the appropriate values for the planets in our Solar System and calculate the ratio T2a3 for each planet. Check if you get very similar results.

Remember
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  • Kepler's three laws describe the motion of the planets around the Sun. They hold not just in our own Solar System, but are general universal relationships.

Exercises

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Exercise 1
Wersja alternatywna ćwiczenia: Determine which sentences are true. Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. Planets orbit the Sun in elliptical orbits, with the Sun located at one focus., 2. A planet that is further from the Sun takes less time to orbit the Sun compared to planets that are closer to the Sun., 3. A planet moves faster travelling along its orbit when it gets closer to the Sun., 4. When a planet is closest to the Sun then it is in the perihelion.
zadanie
Source: GroMar, licencja: CC BY 3.0.
Exercise 2

The average orbital radius of Mars is 1,52 times the average orbital radius of the Earth. Use the 3Indeks górny rd Kepler law to calculate the period of the Mars. Assume that the Earth period is approximately 365 days.

Exercise 3

Explain in English the third Kepler’s law.

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Exercise 4
Wersja alternatywna ćwiczenia: Indicate which pairs of expressions or words are translated correctly. Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. peryhelium - perihelion, 2. aphelium - aphelion, 3. perygeum - perigee , 4. perygeum - perihelion, 5. apogeum - aphelion
zadanie
Source: GroMar, licencja: CC BY 3.0.
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Interaktywna gra, polegająca na łączeniu wyrazów w pary w ciągu jednej minuty. Czas zaczyna upływać wraz z rozpoczęciem gry. Jeden ruch to odkrywanie najpierw jednej potem drugiej karty z wyrazem. Każdy wyraz jest odczytywany. Kolejny ruch to odkrywanie trzeciej i czwartej karty. W ten sposób odsłuchasz wszystkie wyrazy. Nawigacja z poziomu klawiatury za pomocą strzałek, odsłuchiwanie wyrazów enterem lub spacją. Znajdź wszystkie pary wyrazów.
Source: Zespół autorski Politechniki Łódzkiej, licencja: CC BY 3.0.

Glossary

perihelion
perihelion

peryhelium

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wymowa w języku angielskim: perihelion
aphelion
aphelion

aphelium

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wymowa w języku angielskim: aphelion
perigee
perigee

perygeum

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wymowa w języku angielskim: perigee
apogee
apogee

apogeum

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wymowa w języku angielskim: apogee

Keywords

perihelionperihelionperihelion

aphelionaphelionaphelion

perigeeperigee perigee