If the Earth had two identical moons in one circular orbit, and the moons were as far apart in that orbit as they could be, the center of gravity of the Earth-moons system would beA) at the center of the Earth.B) outside the Earth, but beyond the orbital path of the moons.C) outside the Earth, but within the orbital path of the moons.D) inside the Earth, but off center.
Of course A. how could it be anything else?
To determine the location of the center of gravity in a system, we need to consider the masses and positions of the objects involved.
In this scenario, we have two identical moons orbiting the Earth in a circular orbit. Let's assume that the Earth is much more massive than the moons, so we can consider the Earth as a fixed point and focus on the position of the moons.
Since the moons are identical and located as far apart as they can be in the orbit, we can conclude that their masses are also distributed symmetrically. This means that the center of gravity of the two moons lies along the line connecting their centers, right in the middle.
Based on the given options, we can conclude that the correct answer is A) at the center of the Earth.