The reason the moon does not crash into the Earth is that the
A)Earth's gravitational field is weak at the moon.
B)gravitational pull of other planets keeps the moon up.
C)moon has a sufficient tangential speed.
D)moon has less mass than the Earth.
E)none of these

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The moon's sufficient tangential speed is what keeps it in orbit around the Earth despite the pull of Earth's gravity. If the moon lost this speed, it would begin to fall toward the Earth. The other options are incorrect: A) Earth's gravitational field is not weak at the moon, as evidenced by the moon's orbit around the Earth; B) the gravitational pull of other planets has no significant effect on the moon's orbit around the Earth; D) the moon's mass is not the reason why it does not crash into the Earth.

The Reason the Moon Does Not Crash into the Earth