Gravity in the Solar System

What is gravitational force?

• an elastic force that causes planets to expand

• an attractive force between all objects that have mass

• a destructive force that creates radiation in the solar system

• a conductive force that helps light travel through the solar system

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A solar system is a system

• in which only planets travel around a star.

• that includes only the sun, Earth, and moon.

• that includes a star, planets, and their moons.

• made up of a star and all the objects that travel around it.

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What does the strength of gravitational force depend on?

• mass and distance

• mass and speed

• shape and speed

• shape and distance

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Which gravitational force is strongest?

• The force on a baseball from Earth.

• The force on a baseball from the moon.

• The force on a baseball from a nearby book.

• The force on a baseball from a person’s hand.

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Which of these is NOT a requirement for a celestial object to be considered a planet?

• It has to have a moon.

• It has to clear its neighborhood.

• It has to attract matter as it moves.

• It has a nearly spherical shape.

Why does Earth constantly revolve around the sun?

• Earth is attached to the sun by a gravitational force that operates like a rigid pole.

• Earth is pushed away from the sun due to the heat waves that are produced by the sun.

• Earth’s speed allows it to resist the pull of the gravitational force between Earth and the sun.

• Earth is caught in the gravitational force between Venus and Mars, causing it to rotate.

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

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Why do planets have a nearly spherical shape?

• A planet’s rotation causes it to become round over time.

• Gravitational forces around large objects push matter outward.

• Planets will form in the shape of the stars they revolve around.

• Gravitational forces in large objects pull matter toward their centers.

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

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At about what speed does the Earth move around the sun?

• 1 km/s

• 30 km/s

• 100 km/s

• 4,000 km/s

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Which of these would be considered a natural satellite?

• Saturn

• a GPS satellite

• Saturn’s moon

• the Hubble Space Telescope

Which of these statements is true regarding the number of moons in the solar system?

• There are no planets that do not have a moon.

• All moons in the solar system have been discovered.

• Planets in the solar system never have more than five moons

• Planets in the solar system have different numbers of moons.