wiz-icon
MyQuestionIcon
MyQuestionIcon
1
You visited us 1 times! Enjoying our articles? Unlock Full Access!
Question

Can earth be at state of rest and what makes it to revolve around sun

Open in App
Solution

Earth cannot be at the state of rest. Attractive force of sun is always present on earth. But the revolution in its orbit keeps earth from falling to the surface of sun. If Earth stops revolving even for amoment then it would be attracted towards the sun from its orbit.
Accurate explanation is as follows : The gravity of the Sun keeps the earth in its orbit .This acceleration is constantly taking place. However, the earth also has some sideways momentum (perpendicular to the direction towards the sun). So as it falls towards the sun, it also moves to the side. As long as that sideways motion is enough to "side-step" the sun, the earth will orbit instead of crashing and in other words Earth doesn't fall into the Sun because the Earth has a velocity in the direction at 90 degrees to the force of the Sun's gravitational pull. ... But the gravity of the Sun alters its course, causing it to travel around the Sun in an almost circular orbit.

flag
Suggest Corrections
thumbs-up
0
Join BYJU'S Learning Program
similar_icon
Related Videos
thumbnail
lock
Weight and Mass
PHYSICS
Watch in App
Join BYJU'S Learning Program
CrossIcon