If the average distance between Earth and the Sun were doubled, what changes would occur in the sun's gravitational pull on Earth and Earth's period of revolution?
1 Answer
Jan 4, 2017
Doubling the distance from the sun reduces gravitational pull and increases the orbital period.
Explanation:
Using Newton's model of gravity the force or pull
Where G is the gravitational constant, M is the mass of the Sun, m is the mass of the Earth and r is the distance between Sun and Earth.
So, doubling the distance reduces the force by a factor of 4.
Kepler's third law relates the semi-major axis distance
In the case of Earth in its current position
This would make the orbital period