Question Error Report

Thank you for reporting, we will resolve it shortly

Back to Question

Q. Kepler's second law states that the straight line joining the planet to the sun sweeps out equal areas in equal times. This statement is equivalent to saying that

MHT CETMHT CET 2006Gravitation

Solution:

A planet moves around the sun under the effect of a purely radial force. Therefore, areal velocity of the planet must always remains constant. = $\frac{\Delta A}{\Delta t}=\frac{L}{2m}$ = constant vector Therefore, Kepler's 2nd law is the consequence of the principle of conservation of angular momentum (L) $\tau=\frac{dL}{dt}=0$ Now, $\tau=I\alpha$ = $I\alpha=0 or \alpha=0$ or $a_T = r\alpha = 0$ ie, tangential acceleration is zero.