Suppose the Sun were suddenly to shrink in size but that its mass remained the same.According to the law of conservation of angular momentum,what would happen?
A)The Sun would rotate faster than it does now.
B)The Sun's rate of rotation would slow.
C)The Sun's angular size in our sky would stay the same.
D)This could never happen,because it is impossible for an object to shrink in size without an outside torque.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When an object's size decreases while its mass remains constant, its moment of inertia decreases. According to the conservation of angular momentum, if the moment of inertia decreases, the rotational speed must increase to conserve angular momentum. This is analogous to a figure skater spinning faster when they pull their arms in.

Suppose the Sun Were Suddenly to Shrink in Size but That