Question

According to general relativity, why does Earth orbit the Sun?

A) Matter contains quarks, and Earth and the Sun attract each other with the "color force" between their quarks.
B) Space around the Sun is curved, and Earth follows a geodesic in this curved space.
C) The Sun exerts a gravitational force on Earth across empty space.
D) Earth and the Sun are continually exchanging photons of light in a way that holds Earth in orbit.

Answer 1

According to general relativity, Earth orbits the Sun because space around the Sun is curved, and Earth follows a geodesic in this curved space.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to general relativity, Earth orbits the Sun because space around the Sun is curved, and Earth follows a geodesic in this curved space.

Large objects like Earth have strong enough gravity to distort space. This causes space to curve around the Sun, and Earth follows this curved path, resulting in its orbit.

Therefore, the correct answer is B) Space around the Sun is curved, and Earth follows a geodesic in this curved space.