Questions: Earth-Moon-Sun System Quiz Active 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 TIME REMAINING 56:27 Which quantities decrease as the distance between a planet and the Sun increases? Check all that apply. tangential speed mass gravitational force area swept out in a day distance traveled in a day

Solution Steps

The tangential speed of a planet in its orbit around the Sun is related to its distance from the Sun. According to Kepler's laws of planetary motion, particularly the law of areas, a planet moves faster when it is closer to the Sun and slower when it is farther away. Therefore, as the distance between a planet and the Sun increases, the tangential speed decreases.

The mass of a planet is an intrinsic property and does not depend on its distance from the Sun. Therefore, the mass remains constant regardless of the distance.

The gravitational force between two objects is given by Newton's law of universal gravitation:

\[ F = \frac{G \cdot m_1 \cdot m_2}{r^2} \]

where \( F \) is the gravitational force, \( G \) is the gravitational constant, \( m_1 \) and \( m_2 \) are the masses of the two objects, and \( r \) is the distance between their centers. As the distance \( r \) increases, the gravitational force \( F \) decreases.

According to Kepler's second law, the area swept out by a planet in its orbit in a given time is constant. Therefore, the area swept out in a day does not change with distance.

The distance traveled by a planet in a day is related to its tangential speed. As the tangential speed decreases with increasing distance from the Sun, the distance traveled in a day also decreases.

Final Answer