Which would require the greater energy;slowing down of the orbital speed of the Earth so it crashes into the sun,or speeding up the orbital speed of the Earth so it escapes the sun?
A)slowing down
B)speeding up
C)same each way

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Speeding up the Earth's orbital speed to escape the Sun requires more energy because it must overcome the gravitational binding energy that keeps the Earth in orbit, whereas slowing down requires less energy as it only needs to reduce the orbital speed to fall into the Sun.

Which Would Require the Greater Energy;slowing Down of the Orbital