A student claims that the planets orbit the Sun because of gravitational force. Which statement best supports this claim ?(1 point) Responses The Sun has more mass than the planets. The Sun has more mass than the planets. Planets rotate on their axis faster than the Sun. Planets rotate on their axis faster than the Sun. The Sun was the first part of the solar system to form. The Sun was the first part of the solar system to form. Planets are farther from the center of the solar system. Planets are farther from the center of the solar system.

Question

A student claims that the planets orbit the Sun because of gravitational force. Which statement best supports this claim ?(1 point) Responses The Sun has more mass than the planets. The Sun has more mass than the planets. Planets rotate on their axis faster than the Sun. Planets rotate on their axis faster than the Sun. The Sun was the first part of the solar system to form. The Sun was the first part of the solar system to form. Planets are farther from the center of the solar system. Planets are farther from the center of the solar system.

Answer 1

The statement "The Sun has more mass than the planets" best supports the claim that the planets orbit the Sun because of gravitational force.

Answer 2

The statement "The Sun has more mass than the planets" best supports the claim that the planets orbit the Sun because of gravitational force.

Answer 3

The statement that best supports the claim that the planets orbit the Sun because of gravitational force is "The Sun has more mass than the planets."

To understand why this statement supports the claim, we need to consider Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation. This law states that the gravitational force between two objects is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers.

In the case of the planets orbiting the Sun, the Sun's larger mass compared to the planets plays a crucial role. The Sun's mass is about 99.86% of the total mass of the solar system, with the planets accounting for only a tiny fraction of the total mass. Due to its larger mass, the Sun exerts a much stronger gravitational force on the planets, causing them to be attracted towards it.

This gravitational force from the Sun acts as a centripetal force, which causes the planets to continuously change direction and follow an orbit around the Sun. Without the Sun's gravitational force, the planets would continue to move in a straight line rather than orbiting around it.

Therefore, the statement "The Sun has more mass than the planets" best supports the claim that the planets orbit the Sun because of gravitational force.