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Home Q & A Board Science-Related Homework Help Physics
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staedtler staedtler
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7 years ago
You guide your spacecraft into an orbit a few AU from a black hole.  You know its mass is 4 or 5 solar masses, but you want to measure it more precisely.  How would you do this?
A)   Actually, the mass of a black hole cannot be determined precisely because it is impossible to see beyond the event horizon.  So your estimate of 4 or 5 solar masses is as good a value as you can hope for.
B)   You can measure the period and the semimajor axis of your orbit and then use Newton's form of Kepler's third law.
C)   You cannot use Newton's form of the third law.  Because of general relativity, you must use a relativistic form of Kepler's third law.
D)   You must move in toward the black hole and mark the distance as you cross the event horizon.  From this distance, the mass can be calculated.
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Discovering the Universe

Discovering the Universe


Edition: 7th
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discovererdiscoverer
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staedtler Author
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7 years ago
I really appreciate your help!
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