Question

What happens to the orbit of Earth when the mass of the Sun is reduced to 75,000?

a.The orbit does not change c.The orbit gets larger
b.The orbit gets smaller d.The Sun begins to orbit the Earth

Answer 1

C. The orbit gets larger

Answer 2

Explanation :

According to Newton's gravitational law, the gravitational force depends directly on the product of the masses and the inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Mathematically,
`F=G(m_1m_2)/(r^2)`

G is the gravitational constant

`m_1,m_2` are the masses

r is the distance between the masses.

When the mass of the sun is reduced to 75,000, the gravitational force would decrease (due to direct relation between the mass and the force). As a result, the orbit gets larger.

So, the correct option is (c) "The orbit gets larger".