Question

A planet orbiting the Sun will experience the largest gravitational force and greatest tangential speed when it is (blank) the Sun.

a. farthest from
b. closest to
It will experience the smallest gravitational attraction and lowest tangential speed when it is (blank)  the Sun.
a. farthest from
b. closest to

Answer 1

Largest and greatest ..... Closest to

Smallest and lowest ..... Farthest from

Answer 2

b) closest to

a) farthest from

Step-by-step explanation:

Gravitational force is strongest for the objects that are closer or nearby.

It is smallest for objects that are far away. This is according to the universal gravitational law.

Speed is
`√(G M / R)`

So it can be seen that tangential speed is inversely proportional to the radius of the orbit. That's why when it is closer to the Sun, speed is more and when it is farthest from the Sun, speed is smallest.