Question

Think about the force that causes a planet to orbit the Sun and the direction of this

Answer 1

Answer:

1) For the swung puck tied to the string that has a mass m₁ and having another mass m₂ attached to the string that passes through a hole in the table, such that m₂ > m₁

The swung puck rotating on the table is kept in the circular motion on the table by the centripetal force acting towards the center of its rotation along the string, which is given by the amount the weight of m₂ exceeds m₁, in the same way a planet moving around the Sun is kept in its orbit by the gravitational attraction between the planet and the Sun.

2) i) The forces acting on the puck are;

a) The centripetal force in the string, acting inward, towards the center of rotation provided by the weight of m₂

b) The centrifugal force of the puck, acting outward, tending to continue its motion in a straight line

ii) The forces acting on the planet are;

a) The force of gravitational attraction between the planet and the Sun, acting towards the Sun, such that, the planet revolves around the Sun

b) The centrifugal force of the planet, acting outward, tending to move in a linear or straight path

Explanation: