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Name: Duncan B. Smith
Status: Other
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Question:
Why do planets closer to the Sun travel faster than the outer planets?


Replies:
The speed with which planets move around the Sun is proportional to the force of Sun at the planet's position. The force falls off with distance as inverse square so the planets closer to the Sun experience a larger force and hence move faster. This is a rough description. A more rigorous approach will involve mathematical constructs like the gravitational potential.

Jasjeet S Bagla

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