Question

earths distance from the sun, and its inertia, along with the suns gravitational pull, all work together to keep the earth orbiting in a specific path and a specific speed (30 km/s or about 70,000 mph). select the statement(s) which theorize what might happen to the earth if the mass of the sun doubled. more mass means stronger gravitational pull by the sun. the orbital speed of earth would most likely increase. being closer to the sun would effect life on earth as we know it in negative ways. earth would most likely be pulled in closer to the sun by its stronger gravity.

Explanation:

Step1: Gravitational force and mass relation

According to Newton's law of universal gravitation, $F = G\frac{Mm}{r^{2}}$, where $F$ is the gravitational force, $G$ is the gravitational - constant, $M$ is the mass of the Sun, $m$ is the mass of the Earth, and $r$ is the distance between them. If $M$ doubles, the gravitational force $F$ increases.

Step2: Effect on Earth's orbit

The centripetal force for Earth's orbit is provided by the Sun's gravitational pull. $F_{c}=m\frac{v^{2}}{r}$, where $v$ is the orbital speed. With an increased gravitational pull, to maintain the balance, the orbital speed $v$ would most likely increase. Also, a stronger gravitational pull would likely pull the Earth closer to the Sun.

Step3: Impact on life on Earth

If the Earth is closer to the Sun, the amount of solar radiation received would increase, which would have negative impacts on life on Earth as we know it.

Answer:

All of the statements are correct. More mass means stronger gravitational pull by the Sun; The orbital speed of Earth would most likely increase; Being closer to the Sun would affect life on Earth as we know it in negative ways; Earth would most likely be pulled in closer to the Sun by its stronger gravity.