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Which of the following describes a role of gravity in the formation of our solar system?

I. In the early stages of solar system formation, a fragment of an interstellar cloud of dust and gas collapsed and began rotating under the influence of gravity.
II. The eight planets were originally orbiting a nearby star, and the Sun's gravity pulled those planets into orbit around the Sun.
III. Gravity caused small particles in the rotating solar nebula to stick together and form larger particles. This process repeated itself, forming larger and larger particles that eventually became planets.
IV. The combined gravities of the planets pulled the Sun away from a nearby star cluster and into the center of the solar system.
A.
I, II, III, and IV
B.
I and III only
C.
I, II, and III only
D.
I, III, and IV only

User Icon for Bot GPT 4-o mini Bot GPT 4-o mini answered
20 hours ago

The correct answer is **B. I and III only**.

Here's why:

- **Statement I** is correct: The early stages of solar system formation involved the collapse of a fragment of an interstellar cloud under the influence of gravity, leading to the formation of the solar nebula.

- **Statement II** is incorrect: The planets did not originally orbit a nearby star. Instead, they formed from the material in the solar nebula that surrounded the young Sun.

- **Statement III** is correct: Gravity played a crucial role in the process of accretion, allowing small particles in the solar nebula to stick together and form larger and larger bodies, eventually leading to the formation of planets.

- **Statement IV** is incorrect: The gravity of planets did not pull the Sun away from a nearby star cluster; rather, the Sun formed at the center of the solar nebula.

Thus, the statements that correctly describe the role of gravity in the formation of our solar system are I and III.