The Major Difference Between the Orbital Paths of Comets That

question 109

Multiple Choice

The major difference between the orbital paths of comets that we see in the inner solar system and those of the asteroids in the asteroid belt is that:

• A) comet orbits are mostly circular and in the ecliptic plane, whereas the asteroids have elliptical orbits inclined at random to the ecliptic plane.
• B) asteroids orbit the Sun continuously, whereas all comets approach the Sun''s vicinity only once before leaving the solar system.
• C) comets never approach nearer the Sun than approximately Jupiter''s orbit, whereas some asteroids approach very near to the Sun.
• D) cometary orbits are highly elliptical and at random inclinations to the ecliptic plane compared with the circular orbits of asteroids in the ecliptic plane.

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Federal Deficit

The shortfall when a government's total expenditures exceed its total revenues for a fiscal year, leading to borrowing or debt accumulation.

Productivity Growth

An increase in the efficiency of production, measured as the amount of output per unit of input over time.

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The measurement of how efficiently goods and services are produced in the United States, often measured as output per hour of labor.

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Gross Domestic Product, a measure of the economic performance of a country, representing the total value of all goods and services produced over a specific time period.