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hrice
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Homework Statement
The Earth has a mass of 6 x 10 24kg and orbits the sun in 3.15 x 10 7 seconds at a constant circular distance of 1.5 x 10 11 m. What is the Earth's centripetal acceleration around the Sun?
hrice said:Homework Statement
The Earth has a mass of 6 x 10 24kg and orbits the sun in 3.15 x 10 7 seconds at a constant circular distance of 1.5 x 10 11 m. What is the Earth's centripetal acceleration around the Sun?
Homework Equations
The Attempt at a Solution
Earth's centripetal acceleration around the Sun refers to the rate at which Earth's velocity changes as it orbits around the Sun. It is caused by the gravitational force between Earth and the Sun.
Earth's centripetal acceleration can be calculated using the formula a = v^2/r, where a is the centripetal acceleration, v is the velocity of the orbiting object, and r is the distance between the object and the center of the orbit.
The value of Earth's centripetal acceleration around the Sun is approximately 0.0059 meters per second squared. This is significantly smaller than Earth's gravitational acceleration, which is approximately 9.8 meters per second squared.
Yes, Earth's centripetal acceleration changes throughout its orbit. This is because the distance between Earth and the Sun changes, causing the velocity and therefore the centripetal acceleration to change as well.
If Earth's centripetal acceleration were to suddenly stop, Earth would no longer be able to stay in orbit around the Sun. It would continue to move in a straight line, away from the Sun, until it was either pulled back by the Sun's gravitational force or collided with another object in space.