The sun’s mass is 1.99 x 10³⁰ kg, the Earth’s mass is 5.98 x 10²⁴ kg, and the moon’s mass is 7.36 x 10²² kg. The average distance between the moon and the Earth is 3.82 x 10⁸ m, and the average distance between the Earth and the sun is 1.50 x 10¹¹ m.
a. Using Newton’s law of gravitation, find the average force exerted on the Earth by the sun.
b. Find the average force exerted on the Earth by the moon.
c. What is the ratio of the force exerted on the Earth by the sun to that exerted by the moon? Will the moon have much of an impact on the Earth’s orbit about the sun?
d. Using the distance between the Earth and the sun as the average distance between the moon and the sun, find the average force exerted on the moon by the sun. Will the sun have much impact on the orbit of the moon about the Earth?