Asked by hoovan

Which statement explains how planets move in orbit as supported by Newton’s first law of motion?

Planets can change the direction of their own orbital path.
Planets can change orbits due to their inertia.
Planets in motion will have a constant speed unless acted on by an outside force.
Planets with a greater mass will orbit more quickly than smaller planets.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
"Planets in motion will have a constant speed unless acted on by an outside force."

Explanation: Newton's first law (the law of inertia) says an object keeps moving with constant velocity (speed and direction) unless a net external force acts on it. Gravity provides the external (centripetal) force that continually changes the direction of a planet's motion, producing an orbit.