Distances

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Quiz

Given Kepler's 3rd Law, we can calculate an accurate average distance from Mars to the Sun if we know...

1: ...the precise distance between the Earth and the Sun.
2: ...the exact speed of light
3: ....the exact distance to the Moon.
4: ...the Mass of Mars

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What is the most accurate way of measuring distances to the planets today?

1: Parallax.
2: Sonar
3: Radar
4: A really long measuring tape.

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If we know the Earth's distance from the Sun as 150 million km and Mars' average distance from the Sun as 1.52 times that of Earth, on the average, how close can Mars and Earth come to each other?

1: 300 million km.
2: 57 million km
3: 148.48 million km
4: 78 million km

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If you know from observation that Saturn takes 29.42 years to orbit the Sun, and that the Earth is 150 million from the Sun, can you calculate the distance to Saturn?

1: Yes, from Newton's first law.
2: No. Not without radar.
3: No, because this question does not make sense.
4: Yes, by applying Kepler's 3rd Law.

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What is the physical basis of Bode's Law of planetary distances? (section 7.1)

1: The Law is based on the geometric spacings of regular solid figures by Kepler.
2: It can be easily and precisely mathematically explained by interactions of the planet's gravitational fields.
3: Bode was working with bad data, and ultimately it turned out that his "law" didn't work at all.
4: We do not know the basis, if any, for Bode's Law.

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