A student claims that the planets orbit the Sun because of gravitational force. Which statement best supports this claim ? (1 point)
The Sun has more mass than the planets.
Planets rotate on their axis faster than the Sun.
The Sun was the first part of the solar system to form.
Planets are farther from the center of the solar system.
The Sun has more mass than the planets.
The statement "The Sun has more mass than the planets" best supports the claim that planets orbit the Sun because of gravitational force. Gravitational force is proportional to the mass of an object, so the greater the mass of the object, the stronger the gravitational force. Since the Sun has much more mass than the planets, its gravitational force is able to hold the planets in their orbits.
The statement that best supports the claim that the planets orbit the Sun because of gravitational force is: "The Sun has more mass than the planets."
To understand why this statement supports the claim, we need to understand the basics of how gravity works. Gravity is a force that attracts objects with mass towards each other. The strength of the gravitational force depends on two factors: the masses of the objects involved and the distance between them.
The Sun has a much greater mass compared to the planets in our solar system. Its mass is about 99.86% of the total mass of the entire solar system. On the other hand, the planets have much smaller masses in comparison. This means that the Sun has a much stronger gravitational pull compared to the individual planets.
This stronger gravitational pull from the Sun is what causes the planets to orbit around it. The gravitational force of the Sun keeps the planets in their respective orbits, preventing them from flying off into space. The planets are essentially trapped in the gravitational "well" created by the Sun's mass.
So, the statement that the Sun has more mass than the planets supports the claim that the planets orbit the Sun because of gravitational force.