Class 9 Science - Chapter Gravitation NCERT Solutions | If the moon attracts the earth, why does

Welcome to the NCERT Solutions for Class 9th Science - Chapter Gravitation. This page offers a step-by-step solution to the specific question from Exercise 6, Question 5: if the moon attracts the earth why does the earth....
Question 5

If the moon attracts the earth, why does the earth not move towards the moon?

Answer

Apply Newton’s third law which states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Therefore, the Earth and the moon experience the same amount of gravitational forces from each other. Both bodies revolve around their common centre of mass and centrifugal force balances the gravitational force. However, the mass of the Earth is much larger than the mass of the moon. 

For this reason, the Earth does not move towards the moon.

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