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The planet Jupiter revolves around the Sun in a period of about 12 years ([tex]$3.79 \times 10^8$[/tex] seconds). What is its mean distance from the center of the Sun? The mass of the Sun is [tex]$1.99 \times 10^{30}$[/tex] kilograms.

Given:
[tex]\[ G = 6.67 \times 10^{-11} \frac{Nm^2}{kg^2} \][/tex]
[tex]\[ T^2 = \frac{4 \pi^2}{GM} r^3 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \pi = 3.14 \][/tex]

A. [tex]$1.1 \times 10^{11}$[/tex] meters
B. [tex]$1.5 \times 10^{11}$[/tex] meters
C. [tex]$2.3 \times 10^{11}$[/tex] meters
D. [tex]$5.8 \times 10^{11}$[/tex] meters
E. [tex]$7.8 \times 10^{11}$[/tex] meters



Answer :

To determine the mean distance from Jupiter to the center of the Sun, we use Kepler’s third law of planetary motion, which can be expressed as:

[tex]\[ T^2 = \frac{4 \pi^2}{G M} r^3 \][/tex]

where:
- [tex]\( T \)[/tex] is the orbital period of the planet,
- [tex]\( G \)[/tex] is the gravitational constant,
- [tex]\( M \)[/tex] is the mass of the Sun,
- [tex]\( r \)[/tex] is the mean distance from the planet to the Sun (semi-major axis of the orbit),
- [tex]\( \pi \)[/tex] is the mathematical constant pi.

Given data:
- Orbital period [tex]\( T = 3.79 \times 10^8 \)[/tex] seconds,
- Mass of the Sun [tex]\( M = 1.99 \times 10^{30} \)[/tex] kilograms,
- Gravitational constant [tex]\( G = 6.67 \times 10^{-11} \frac{Nm^2}{kg^2} \)[/tex],
- [tex]\( \pi = 3.14 \)[/tex].

Let's proceed with the solution step-by-step:

1. Calculate [tex]\( T^2 \)[/tex]:

[tex]\[ T^2 = (3.79 \times 10^8)^2 = 1.43641 \times 10^{17} \][/tex]

2. Calculate the numerator [tex]\( G \cdot M \cdot T^2 \)[/tex]:

[tex]\[ G \cdot M \cdot T^2 = 6.67 \times 10^{-11} \cdot 1.99 \times 10^{30} \cdot 1.43641 \times 10^{17} \][/tex]
[tex]\[ = 1.9065900853 \times 10^{37} \][/tex]

3. Calculate the denominator [tex]\( 4 \pi^2 \)[/tex]:

[tex]\[ 4 \pi^2 = 4 \times (3.14)^2 = 4 \times 9.8596 = 39.4384 \][/tex]

4. Calculate [tex]\( r^3 \)[/tex]:

[tex]\[ r^3 = \frac{G \cdot M \cdot T^2}{4 \pi^2} = \frac{1.9065900853 \times 10^{37}}{39.4384} \][/tex]
[tex]\[ = 4.834349479948476 \times 10^{35} \][/tex]

5. Calculate [tex]\( r \)[/tex] by taking the cubic root of [tex]\( r^3 \)[/tex]:

[tex]\[ r = \left( 4.834349479948476 \times 10^{35} \right)^{\frac{1}{3}} = 7.848367805377351 \times 10^{11} \text{ meters} \][/tex]

Comparing this calculated value with the given options, we find that the closest option to our calculated mean distance is:

[tex]\[ E. \ 7.8 \times 10^{11} \text{ meters} \][/tex]

So, the correct answer is [tex]\( \boxed{7.8 \times 10^{11}} \text{ meters} \)[/tex].

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