What would happen if the tangential velocities of the planets were reduced to zero?
What would happen if the tangential velocities of the planets were reduced to zero? Their motion would be straight toward the sun and they would indeed crash into it. Any objects in the solar system with insufficient tangential velocities have long ago crashed into the sun.
How does distance affect the gravitational force?
Since gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the separation distance between the two interacting objects, more separation distance will result in weaker gravitational forces. So as two objects are separated from each other, the force of gravitational attraction between them also decreases.
Does the mass of the planets affect the gravitational force?
The more massive a planet or star is, the stronger the gravitational force it exerts. It is this force that allows a planet or star to hold other objects in their orbit. This is summed up in Isaac Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation, which is an equation for calculating the force of gravity.
How would doubling the mass of Earth affect the gravity we experience?
If one of the masses is doubled, the force of gravity between the objects is doubled. increases, the force of gravity decreases. The acceleration due to Earth’s gravity is called g and is equal to 9.8 m/s2 at Earth’s surface.
What would happen if we decrease the tangential velocity of the moon?
Since the path followed by the moon is already elliptical (e=0.00549), the actual affect depends on where the tangential velocity is reduced. If reduced at the apogee, the orbit will become more elliptical but if it is reduced at the perigee, the orbit will become more circular.
What would happen if the radius of the Earth orbit decreases?
According to Newtonian gravity the acceleration due to gravity will increase when the radius is decreased? And the orbital radius will decrease.
How does mass and distance affect the gravitational force between two objects?
The force of gravity depends directly upon the masses of the two objects, and inversely on the square of the distance between them. This means that the force of gravity increases with mass, but decreases with increasing distance between objects.
How does the force of gravitation between two objects change when the distance is reduced to half?
The force of gravitation between two objects is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them therefore the gravity will become four times if distance between them is reduced to half.
How does gravity influence the motion of objects in the solar system?
The sun’s gravity pulls the planet toward the sun, which changes the straight line of direction into a curve. This keeps the planet moving in an orbit around the sun. Because of the sun’s gravitational pull, all the planets in our solar system orbit around it.
How does gravity depend on the mass of the two objects?
The force of gravity depends directly upon the masses of the two objects, and inversely on the square of the distance between them. This means that the force of gravity increases with mass, but decreases with increasing distance between objects. However, the exponent on the mass terms is one.
What effect does doubling the distance between two objects have on the force of gravity?
So as two objects are separated from each other, the force of gravitational attraction between them also decreases. If the separation distance between two objects is doubled (increased by a factor of 2), then the force of gravitational attraction is decreased by a factor of 4 (2 raised to the second power).
How does mass and radius affect gravity?
Therefore, the surface gravity of a planet or star with a given mass will be approximately inversely proportional to the square of its radius, and the surface gravity of a planet or star with a given average density will be approximately proportional to its radius.
What is the distance from the sun to the Earth’s orbit?
One AU is the distance from the Sun to Earth’s orbit, which is about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers). When measured in astronomical units, the 886,000,000-mile (1,400,000,000-kilometer) distance from the Sun to Saturn’s orbit, is a much more manageable 9.5 AU.
What is the difference between geostationary and geosynchronous orbit?
This special, high Earth orbit is called geosynchronous. A satellite in a circular geosynchronous orbit directly over the equator (eccentricity and inclination at zero) will have a geostationary orbit that does not move at all relative to the ground.
What is the relationship between the planets and the Sun?
The Sun is a star and produces heat and light (energy) via nuclear reactions. The planets, dwarf planets and asteroids all orbit around the Sun, held in their orbits by the force of gravity. Different planets have different observed properties and characteristics. The Earth is located in a special zone around the Sun, where life is possible.
How do we measure the size of the Solar System?
The best way to appreciate the size of our solar system is by creating a scaled model of it that shows how far from the sun the eight planets are located. Astronomers use the distance between Earth and sun, which is 93 million miles, as a new unit of measure called the Astronomical Unit.