Kepler's second law regarding constancy of aerial velocity of a palnet is consequence of the law of conservation of (A) energy (B) angular Momentum (C) linear momentum (D) None of these

Short Answer

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Kepler's second law regarding constancy of aerial velocity of a planet is a consequence of the law of conservation of (B) Angular Momentum. This conservation law is relevant to Kepler's second law because the gravitational force from the star does not change the planet's angular momentum, thus maintaining the constant aerial velocity.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding Kepler's second law

Kepler's second law states that a line connecting a planet to its star sweeps out equal areas in equal time intervals. In other words, the aerial velocity of the planet, the rate at which it sweeps out area, remains constant.
02

Reviewing conservation laws

Let's briefly review the conservation laws mentioned in the options: (A) Conservation of energy: The total energy of an isolated system remains constant unless acted upon by an external force. In the case of a planet orbiting a star, gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy are constantly changing, but their sum, the total mechanical energy, remains constant. (B) Conservation of angular momentum: The total angular momentum of an isolated system remains constant unless acted upon by an external torque. Angular momentum is given by the product of an object's moment of inertia and its angular velocity. (C) Conservation of linear momentum: The total linear momentum of an isolated system remains constant unless acted upon by an external force. Linear momentum is given by the product of an object's mass and its velocity. Now, let's determine which of these conservation laws is related to Kepler's second law.
03

Connecting Kepler's second law with conservation of angular momentum

Kepler's second law deals with the constant aerial velocity of a planet orbiting a star. Since we're considering changes in a planet's position with respect to the star, the relevant conservation law must deal with rotational motion. Among the available options, conservation of angular momentum is the most appropriate choice. When a planet moves around its orbit, the force acting on it is the gravitational force from the star, which is always toward the center of the circular path. This force causes a centripetal acceleration but no change in the planet's angular momentum since there is no external torque acting on the system. As a result, the planet's aerial velocity remains constant, providing a basis for Kepler's second law. Therefore, the answer is: (B) Angular Momentum

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