A student claims that the planets orbit, the sun, because the gravitational force, which statement best supports this claim? A. The sun has more mass than the planets.B. Planets rotate on their access faster than the sun.C. The sun was the first part of the solar system form.d. Planets are farther from the center of the solar system.
A. The sun has more mass than the planets.
The statement that best supports the claim is A. The sun has more mass than the planets.
Gravitational force depends on the mass of the objects involved. Since the sun has a much greater mass than the planets, it has a stronger gravitational pull. This gravitational force is what keeps the planets orbiting around the sun.
The statement that best supports the claim that planets orbit the sun because of gravitational force is:
A. The sun has more mass than the planets.
To understand why this statement supports the claim, let's delve into some basic concepts of gravitational force and planetary motion:
1. Gravitational Force: Gravitational force is the force of attraction between two objects with mass. The strength of this force depends on the masses of the objects and the distance between them. The larger the mass of an object, the greater its gravitational force.
2. Planetary Motion: In our solar system, planets orbit around the sun due to the gravitational pull it exerts on them. The force of gravity acts as a centripetal force, keeping the planets in their elliptical orbits. According to Newton's law of universal gravitation, every mass exerts an attractive force on every other mass, and this force is proportional to the product of their masses.
Based on these concepts, we can understand why the statement "The sun has more mass than the planets" supports the claim that planets orbit the sun. The greater mass of the sun compared to the planets means that it exerts a stronger gravitational force. This strong gravitational force is what keeps the planets in their orbits and prevents them from drifting off into space.
Other options provided in the question:
B. Planets rotate on their axis faster than the sun: This statement is unrelated to the claim because it refers to the rotation of planets on their own axis, which is not related to their orbit around the sun.
C. The sun was the first part of the solar system form: This statement is about the formation of the solar system, not about why planets orbit the sun due to gravitational force.
D. Planets are farther from the center of the solar system: This statement is incorrect because the center of the solar system is the sun itself. The distance of the planets from the center does not determine why they orbit the sun. It is the gravitational force exerted by the sun that keeps planets in their orbits, regardless of their distance from the sun.