What force acts on the earth perpendicular to the force of the sun which causes the tangential accelerations characteristic of an ellipse?

Question

Hailey Alexander · Accepted Answer

There is no such force.

According the Newton's laws a body moves in a straight line unless acted on by an external force. In order for a body to be in a circular or elliptical orbit a centripetal force is required which is perpendicular to the tangent at the orbit. Newton stated that the centripetal force is equal to the gravitational force exerted by the Sun. The formula for this is: #(GMm)/r^2=(mv^2)/r# Where #G# is the gravitational constant, #M# is the mass of the Sun, #m# is the mass of the Earth and #r# is the distance between the Sun and the Earth. The elliptical orbit that we observe is actually a projection of the four-dimensional geodesic onto our familiar three-dimensional space. According to Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, the mass of the Sun bends the fabric of four-dimensional spacetime, and the Earth is actually traveling along a geodesic—an extension of a straight line in four dimensions—instead of gravitational force or centripetal force.

Josiah Adams · Answer

undefined The centripetal force is the force that acts on Earth perpendicular to the force of the Sun, resulting in the tangential accelerations that define an ellipse.

Ivy Allen · Answer

undefined The force acting on the Earth perpendicular to the force of the Sun, which causes the tangential accelerations characteristic of an ellipse, is known as the centripetal force.