If the Earth has so much mass, then how does it "float"? (My 8th grade Astronomy class trying to figure this out.

-Lauren

The earth doesn't "float", it orbits the sun following Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation. The presence of the sun, which is much more massive than earth and the other planets, drives the movement of the planets. The sun is so dense that a spoonful of it is approximately as massive as the Rocky Mountains! The attractive force between the planets and the sun known as gravitational force is what determines the orbit of the planets. The orbiting motion is continuous and can be described by Kepler's Laws.

According to the condensation theory, the most important factor for the formation of our planets was __

Hi Lauren! I can help explain why the Earth doesn't "float" even though it has a massive amount of mass.

The Earth doesn't actually float in the traditional sense, like a leaf on water. It stays in space due to two main factors: gravity and the balance of forces.

Gravity is a force that pulls objects toward each other. It is what keeps the Earth in orbit around the Sun and what keeps the Moon in orbit around the Earth. The mass of the Earth creates a strong gravitational pull, which holds everything on the planet's surface, including us, firmly in place.

The second factor is the balance of forces. The Earth is in equilibrium, which means that the forces acting on it are balanced. The gravitational force pulling the Earth toward the Sun is balanced by the centrifugal force, which is the force pushing the Earth away from the Sun due to its orbital motion.

So, the Earth doesn't float away into space because the force of gravity is pulling it back towards the Sun, while the centrifugal force is pushing it away. These forces are balanced and result in the Earth maintaining its position in space.

I hope this helps clarify why the Earth doesn't "float" even with its massive mass. Let me know if you have any more questions!