What 2 forces keeps the moon in orbit around earth?

Answer 1

Only one. Gravity

You may be looking for some of the other names that people use when describing orbital motion: centripetal force (which is correct), or centrifugal force (which is not correct). Inertia is not a force. Gravity is the only real force in this situation.

Aloha

Answer 2

Listen to the folks with the Ph.D.'s in physics - not because they have Ph.Ds, but because they are right. There is only one force, gravity. When you have two (or more) balanced forces on an object, then it will not accelerate (Newton's Second Law - the sum of the forces on an object is equal to the object's mass times its acceleration, F = ma). If an object is moving in a circle (or anything other than a straight line) than it *must* be accelerating, so the force(s) on it must be unbalanced (Newton's First Law - an object will continue its state of either rest or constant speed, straight line motion until it is acted upon by an unbalanced force).

Inertia is an objects tendancy to resist motion, as measured by its mass. Inertia is not a force.

Centrifugal force is a fake or pseudo- force.

Centripetal force is a real force. When one object orbits another, gravity is the centripetal force that holds it in orbit. If you could magically turn off gravity, then the object would continue in a straight line at a constant speed forever.

Answer 3

Excellent question. Gravity and Angular momentum. But this is only a partial answer. The deeper mystery is what is the ultimate cause?
Let me paste a more thorough explanation I've used in this forum before;
The invisible frame work large masses such as the moon ,planets and galaxies “hang” on to is called a gravitational field. These fields influence objects within these regions . The influence they create are detectable as gravitational forces, ie; "pulling forces" .These forces change the momentum of an object.The movement of the known moons, planets and galaxies are governed by the resulting balance form the laws of momentum and the laws of gravity. One pushes away and the other pulls in respectably. Newton was able to show that the force that say, causes an apple to fall to the ground, is exactly the force which influences the moon to orbit the earth. Einstein’s general theory of relativity explained this phenomena in terms of a local space time perturbation caused by mass, itself yielding an even more precise calculation of this gravitational force. How something here affects something there without any detectable rod or scaffolding is answered by the yet to be discovered graviton, mediator of the gravitational force, something akin to photons, the quanta which mediates the electromagnetic forces. This graviton is something like a billardball which goes from here to there “interacting” an exchanging this force.

Source(s):

Newtons First law of motion
Objects in motion tend to stay in motion, and objects at rest tend to stay at rest unless an outside force acts upon them.

Einstein's General theory of relativity

Answer 4

Earth's gravity tries to pull the moon down while at the same time the moon's velocity through space tries to move it away from Earth. The two forces exactly cancel and the end result is the moon orbits Earth.

Answer 5

basically pushing and pulling. the moon wants to shoot away from the earth, but the earth's gravity is just enough to keep it from crashing into the earth or completely pulling away. that's how it stays in orbit.

Answer 6

Centripital force & Centrifugal force.Centripital force & Centrifugal force maintains all circular motion. Centripital force is directed towards the center of the circle & Centrifugal force is equal and opposite to centripital force (by Newton's third law of motion). Gravitational force is used to provide centripital force. Thus the moon orbit arround the earth

Answer 7

To be absolutely clear here, there is just one force - gravity.

Centripetal and centrifugal forces do not exist - they are just descriptions of the forces needed to cause orbital motion, but are not the source of the force themselves.

Answer 8

Gravity and its velocity around the earth

Answer 9

Earths gravity and centrifugal force.

Answer 10

Gravity and continous momentum.

The moon goes around Earth's gravitational well while orbiting the planet with continous forward momentum.