Question

why do planets move faster when they are closer to the sun in their orbit? (hint: kepler’s 2nd law) (1 point) the sun’s gravitational pull is stronger, pulling the planet forward and increasing its speed. the planet gains energy from the sun’s heat, which makes it accelerate. the planet’s mass increases as it approaches the sun, causing it to move faster.

Explanation:

Kepler's 2nd law (law of equal - areas) implies that a planet sweeps out equal areas in equal time intervals. When a planet is closer to the Sun, the distance it has to travel in its orbit to sweep out a given area is shorter. To cover this shorter distance in the same time as when it is farther from the Sun, it must move faster. Also, the gravitational force between the Sun and the planet is stronger when the planet is closer (from Newton's law of universal gravitation $F = G\frac{Mm}{r^{2}}$, where $F$ is the gravitational force, $G$ is the gravitational constant, $M$ is the mass of the Sun, $m$ is the mass of the planet, and $r$ is the distance between them), and this stronger force accelerates the planet, increasing its speed.

Answer:

The Sun’s gravitational pull is stronger, pulling the planet forward and increasing its speed.