Calculus (3rd Edition)

Published by W. H. Freeman
ISBN 10: 1464125260
ISBN 13: 978-1-46412-526-3

Chapter 14 - Calculus of Vector-Valued Functions - Chapter Review Exercises - Page 754: 41

Answer

Using Kepler's Second Law we show that the time required to travel from $A'$ to $B'$ is ${t_{A'B'}} = \left( {\frac{1}{4} + \frac{e}{{2\pi }}} \right)T$

Work Step by Step

Recall that the area of the ellipse is $A = \pi ab$. So, by symmetry, the area of $OA'B'$ is ${A_1} = \frac{1}{4}\pi ab$. Let us denote the position of the Sun as ${F_2}$. So, the area of the triangle ${F_2}OB'$ is ${A_2} = \frac{1}{2}bc$. Since, $e = \frac{c}{a}$, so, ${A_2} = \frac{1}{2}abe$. Thus, the area swept out by the planet from $A'$ to $B'$ is ${A_{A'B'}} = \frac{1}{4}\pi ab + \frac{1}{2}abe = ab\left( {\frac{1}{4}\pi + \frac{1}{2}e} \right)$ Using Kepler's Second Law which states that the position vector pointing from the Sun to the planet sweeps out equal areas in equal times, we have $\frac{{{A_{A'B'}}}}{A} = \frac{{{t_{A'B'}}}}{T}$ where ${t_{A'B'}}$ is the time required to travel from $A'$ to $B'$. Therefore, $\frac{{ab\left( {\frac{1}{4}\pi + \frac{1}{2}e} \right)}}{{\pi ab}} = \frac{{{t_{A'B'}}}}{T}$ ${t_{A'B'}} = \left( {\frac{1}{4} + \frac{e}{{2\pi }}} \right)T$, as required.
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