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Q:
As a planet orbits the sun in an ellipse, at what point on the ellipse is the sun's gravitational force on it greatest?At what point is the acceleration the greatest?
A:
The force of gravity is heavily influenced by the distance between two objects. In an elliptical orbit, when a planet is at its furthest point from the Sun, it is under the least amount of gravity, meaning that the force of gravity is strongest when it is closest. This also applies to the acceleration, meaning that a planet is accelerating the most when it is closest to the sun.
Posted on April 30, 2018 at 1:32 pm
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