Explain the geometry of an ellipse, which Kepler used to describe a planet's orbits
What will be an ideal response?
The semimajor axis, a, is half of the longest diameter. The eccentricity, e, of an ellipse is half the distance between the foci divided by the semimajor axis. The eccentricity of an ellipse tells you its shape; if e is nearly equal to one, the ellipse is very elongated. If e is closer to zero, the ellipse is more circular.
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A positively charged insulating rod is brought close to an object that is suspended by a string. If the object is repelled away from the rod we can conclude:
A) the object is positively charged B) the object is negatively charged C) the object is an insulator D) the object is a conductor E) none of the above
________ was the first person to measure the circumference of Earth.
A. Galileo B. Aristarchus C. Eratosthenes D. Ptolemy E. Copernicus
Uranus was discovered
A) after examining perturbations in Neptune's orbit. B) less than 250 years ago. C) thousands of years ago. D) by Galileo. E) with a radio telescope.
A ball drops some distance and gains 30 J of kinetic energy. Do NOT ignore air resistance. How much gravitational potential energy did the ball lose?
A) more than 30 J B) exactly 30 J C) less than 30 J