I am a student currently studying for a degree in aerospace engineering
I have asked several teachers and many other people the
following question but have not received any respectable answer:
The Earth is 93 million miles from the sun. Other planets,
and even much denser planets I might add, are much further
yet from the sun. The obviously strong gravitational attraction
of the sun holds all of these planets in orbits around the sun.
If gravity could be simply defined as a force that attracts matter,
and the sun's gravitational pull is sufficient to hold the Earth in orbit,
what keeps it from pulling me off the Earth? In fact, the gravitational
pull of the sun is so weak at this distance that It can't even produce
enough pull to raise a hair on my head. So how can it hold the Earth
and several even denser planets (even further out) in orbit?
So--if the gravitational force of the sun is powerful enough to hold
the Earth in orbit, then how could the Earth's gravitational force be
powerful enough to hold me down, counter-acting the gravitational
force of the sun? Please unconfuse me!
2006-07-22
16:33:49
·
20 answers
·
asked by
Anonymous
in
Physics