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Name: Katie
Status: Student
Age: 14
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: March 13, 2004
Question:
Hypothetically, if there were two planets of the same composition and one had a significantly larger mas than the other, would that planet also be significantly smoother because of its gravity?


Replies:
Gravity is but one of the forces operating on the surface of a planet. In fact it is the weakest force. So it would depend upon many more variables -- vulcanism, plate tectonic movement (if operative), erosion, distribution of the mass (which is not uniform), and so on. It would be difficult to predict one way or the other, I would think.

Vince Calder


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