You Are the Science Officer on a Visit to a Distant

question 40

Multiple Choice

You are the science officer on a visit to a distant solar system.Prior to landing on a planet you measure its diameter to be 1.8 × 10⁷ m.You have previously determined that the planet orbits 2.9 × 10¹¹ m from its star with a period of 402 Earth days.Once on the surface you find that the acceleration due to gravity is 19.5 m/s².What are the masses of (a) the planet and (b) the star?

• A)(a)2.4 kg × 10²⁵ kg (b)1.2 kg × 10³¹ kg
• B)(a)4.3 kg × 10²⁵ kg (b)1.2 kg × 10³¹ kg
• C)(a)2.4 kg × 10²⁵ kg (b)7.1 kg × 10³⁰ kg
• D)(a)4.3 kg × 10²⁵ kg (b)7.1 kg × 10³⁰ kg