According to our present theory of solar system formation, which of the following best explains why the solar nebula ended up with a disk shape as it collapsed?
A)The force of gravity pulled the material downward into a flat disk.
B)It was fairly flat to begin with, and retained this flat shape as it collapsed.
C)The law of conservation of energy
D)It flattened as a natural consequence of collisions between particles in the nebula.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The solar nebula flattened into a disk shape due to collisions between particles within the nebula, which led to a redistribution of angular momentum and energy, causing the nebula to spread out into a disk. This process is a natural consequence of the physics governing the interactions between particles in a rotating system.

According to Our Present Theory of Solar System Formation, Which