Concept explainers
Predict/Calculate Referring to Example 12-8 Suppose the mass of the Sun is suddenly doubled, but the Earth’s orbital radius remains the same. (a) Would the length of an Earth year increase, decrease, or stay the same? (b) Find the length of a year for the case of a Sun with twice the mass. (c) Suppose the Sun retains its present mass, but the mass of the Earth is doubled instead. Would the length of the year increase, decrease, or stay the same?
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