Question

For A, the answers are not 1.34x10^13 & 5.23x10^9

For B, the answers are not 2.65x10^13 & 1.03x10^10.

Chapter 13, Problem 049 Suppose that a comet that was seen in 613 A.D. by Chinese astronomers was spotted again in year 1966. Assume the time between observations is the period of the comet and take its eccentricity as 0.981. What are (a) the semimajor axis of the comet's orbit and (b) its greatest distance from the Sun? (a) Number Units Units (b) Number

Answer 1

Time, T = 1966 - 613 = 1353 yrs x 365 x 86400 = 4.27 x 10^10 sec

A)

Using Kepler's law,

T^2 = (4 pi^2/GM) a^3

(4.27 x 10^10)^2 = (4 pi^2/6.67 x 10^-11 x 1.99 x 10^30) a^3

a = 1.83 x 10^13 m

B)

Maximum distance = a (e + 1)

D = 1.83 x 10^13 x (0.981 + 1) = 3.62 x 10^13 m

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