Why do researchers believe that asteroids in the asteroid belt are primal rocks that did notmerge into a planet?
A)The total mass of the asteroids in the asteroid belt is much smaller than that of any terrestrialplanet in our solar system.
B)The differences in chemical compositions of the asteroids are too large for them to haveoriginated in a single body.
C)Jupiter's gravity could have prevented these objects merging into a single body.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Researchers believe that asteroids in the asteroid belt are primal rocks that did not merge into a planet for several reasons. Firstly, the total mass of the asteroids in the asteroid belt is much smaller than that of any terrestrial planet in our solar system. Secondly, the differences in chemical compositions of the asteroids are too large for them to have originated in a single body. Finally, Jupiter's gravity could have prevented these objects merging into a single body. Therefore, all of the above reasons support the belief that the asteroids in the asteroid belt are primal rocks. A) The total mass of the asteroids in the asteroid belt is much smaller than that of any terrestrial planet in our solar system, which suggests that they did not merge into a planet.
B) The differences in chemical compositions of the asteroids are too large for them to have originated in a single body, which reinforces the idea that they are individual primitive rocks.
C) Jupiter's gravity could have prevented these objects from merging into a single body, further supporting the notion that they are remnants from the early solar system that did not combine into a larger body. Therefore, all of the above statements are correct, making choice D the correct answer.

Why Do Researchers Believe That Asteroids in the Asteroid Belt