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Question: The sun's gravitational attraction for the moon. the centrifugal force of the earth on the moon.?

(Posted by: brandon on 2010-02-28 13:22:56)

According to Newton's third law of motion, "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. " What is the reaction force equal and opposite to the earth's gravitational attraction for the moon? The sun's gravitational attraction for the moon. The centrifugal force of the earth on the moon. The moon's gravitational attraction for the sun. The sun's gravitational attraction for the earth. The moon's gravitational attraction for the earth. the question just makes no sense to me

Posted by: pzifisssh on 2010-02-28, 13:27:24

When Newton said "action " he was talking about what we call "force " today. What he meant was that the Moon and the Earth attract each other; the force acts between them. The Earth pulls on the Moon, and the Moon pulls on the Earth by exactly the same amount. Hope that answers your question.