Which would require the greater change in the Earth's orbital speed (30 km/s);slowing down so the Earth crashes into the sun,or speeding up so the Earth escapes the sun?
A)slowing down
B)speeding up
C)same each way
D)More information about Earth-sun distance is needed.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Slowing down the Earth's orbital speed to make it crash into the sun would require a larger change in velocity as compared to speeding it up to make it escape the sun. This is because the Earth's current velocity of 30 km/s is already in the direction of motion that is away from the sun, and hence, speeding it up by a smaller amount would be sufficient to make it escape the sun. On the other hand, slowing it down by a small amount would mean that it would still be moving towards the sun, requiring a greater change in velocity to avoid a collision.

Which Would Require the Greater Change in the Earth's Orbital