Question

If the Earth's mass was doubled, what would happen to Earth's orbit?

A) Orbit size increases
B) Orbit size decreases
C) No change in orbit
D) Earth escapes the solar system

Answer 1

If the Earth's mass was doubled, there would be no change in the Earth's orbit.

Step-by-step explanation:

If the Earth's mass was doubled, there would be no change in the Earth's orbit (C). The orbit of a planet is determined by the gravitational force between the planet and the sun as well as the velocity of the planet. When the mass of the Earth is doubled, the gravitational force between the Earth and the sun also doubles. However, the velocity of the Earth remains the same, so the centripetal force required to keep the Earth in orbit remains the same as well. As a result, there is no change in the Earth's orbit size.