Suppose the sun, including its gravity, suddenly disappeared. Which of the follo

Question

Suppose the sun, including its gravity, suddenly disappeared. Which of the following statements best describes the subsequent motion of the earth?

a=The earth would continue moving in a straight line tangent to its original direction, but would gradually slow down. b=The earth would speed up because the sun's gravity would not be able to slow it down. c=The earth would continue moving in a straight line tangent to its original direction and would not change its speed. d=The earth would move directly outward with constant speed away from the sun's original position.

Explanation / Answer

Answer: c. The earth would continue moving in a straight line tangent to its original direction and would not change its speed.

Explanation : Lets us consider a hypothetical look at it first from the perspective of the motion of bodies in the Solar System.

Anything in orbit around the Sun is basically moving fast enough to be in a constant state of freefall towards it. If the planets, for example, suddenly stopped moving they would immediately be pulled towards the Sun and fall into it.

So, let

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