Question

misaki is building a model of earths orbit around the sun. first, she attaches a ball to one end of a string. then, she holds the other end of the string and swings the ball in a circle, as shown below.
image of hand, string, ball in circular path
match each part of misaki’s model to the part of the earth–sun system it represents.

part of misaki’s model | part of the earth–sun system
hand | earth
ball | the sun
string | the force of gravity

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the model:

• The sun is the central object in the Earth - sun system. In the model, the hand is the central object holding the string, so the hand represents the sun.
• The Earth orbits the sun. In the model, the ball is the object moving in a circle (orbiting), so the ball represents the Earth.
• The force of gravity is what keeps the Earth in orbit around the sun. In the model, the string provides the force that keeps the ball moving in a circle, so the string represents the force of gravity.

Answer:

hand - the sun
ball - Earth
string - the force of gravity