Would the following changes increase or decrease the gravitational pull between the Earth and Sun? (1 point)

Question

Increase
Decrease
The Sun doubles in size.

The Sun was farther away from Earth.

The Earth becomes closer to the Sun.

Answer 1

To determine how each change affects the gravitational pull between the Earth and the Sun, we can use Newton's law of universal gravitation, which states that the gravitational force \( F \) is proportional to the product of the masses of the two objects and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. The formula is:

\[ F = G \frac{m_1 m_2}{r^2} \]

where \( F \) is the gravitational force, \( G \) is the gravitational constant, \( m_1 \) and \( m_2 \) are the masses of the two objects, and \( r \) is the distance between the centers of the two objects.

Now, let's analyze each change:

1. The Sun doubles in size.

   • If the Sun doubles in size, it doesn't just change its volume but also approximately doubles its mass (assuming its density remains constant). Since gravitational force is directly proportional to the product of the masses, this would increase the gravitational pull.

2. The Sun was farther away from Earth.

   • If the Sun is farther away from Earth, the distance \( r \) in the formula increases. Since gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance, increasing the distance would decrease the gravitational pull.

3. The Earth becomes closer to the Sun.

   • If the Earth becomes closer to the Sun, the distance \( r \) decreases. This means that the gravitational force increases, because as \( r \) becomes smaller, the force \( F \) becomes larger. Therefore, this would increase the gravitational pull.

In summary:

• The Sun doubles in size: Increase
• The Sun was farther away from Earth: Decrease
• The Earth becomes closer to the Sun: Increase

Answer 2

Order the objects in space from smallest to largest. (1 point)
= constellation
= star
= galaxy
= universe
= planet
= asteroid

Answer 3

To order the objects in space from smallest to largest, we can look at their typical sizes:

1. Asteroid - small rocky bodies that orbit the Sun.
2. Planet - larger than asteroids; celestial bodies that orbit a star (like Earth).
3. Star - massive celestial bodies that produce light and heat through nuclear fusion (like the Sun).
4. Constellation - a grouping of stars; constellations can vary in size but typically encompass many stars that appear close together from our perspective.
5. Galaxy - a vast system of stars, star clusters, gas, dust, and dark matter held together by gravity (like the Milky Way).
6. Universe - the largest scale, encompassing all galaxies, stars, and matter.

So, the correct order from smallest to largest is:

• Asteroid
• Planet
• Star
• Constellation
• Galaxy
• Universe

Answer 4

What is the 2 requisites of a planet?
(1 point)
•orbit the Sun and the moon
orbit the Sun and have enough mass for its gravity to pull it into a round shape
O orbit the moon and no gravity
• the sun orbits planets and has mass
True of False. All planets are solid. (1 point)
• True
• False

Answer 5

2 Requisites of a Planet:

The correct requisites of a planet are:

• Orbit the Sun and have enough mass for its gravity to pull it into a round shape.

True or False – All planets are solid:

The answer is:

• False.

Not all planets are solid. For example, gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn are primarily composed of gases (hydrogen and helium) and do not have a solid surface.