The Earth on its path around the Sun has an orbital angular momentum J and a spin angular momentum S due to its rotation about its own axis. Knowing the relationship between the year and the day, the Earth's radius, and the Earth-Sun distance, the ballpark relation between the magnitudes of J and S is
A) J larger than S.
B) J approximately equal to S.
C) J less than S.
D) Hold it! Comparing these two quantities is not legitimate because they are quantities that do not have anything in common.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The orbital angular momentum (J) of the Earth around the Sun is generally much larger than the spin angular momentum (S) due to its rotation about its own axis. This is because the mass of the Earth, the distance to the Sun (which is much larger than the Earth's radius), and the velocity of the Earth in its orbit all contribute to a significantly larger value for J compared to S, which is influenced by the Earth's rotation speed and its radius.

The Earth on Its Path Around the Sun Has an Orbital