Question at position 35 The moon and the Earth rotate around a common center of mass.TrueFalse

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Question: The moon and the Earth rotate around a common center of mass. True/False

Option 1: True
This statement is accurate. The Earth–Moon system orbits a shared barycenter, which is the center of mass of the two-body system. Because the Moon and Earth have different masses, the barycenter is located inside the Earth but not at its center, and both bodies orbit this point as they revolve around their common gravitational anchor. In simple terms, both bodies move in response to their mutual gravity, tracing out orbital paths about the barycenter.

Option 2: False
Saying this is false would ignore the gravitational coupling between two bodies in a two-body problem. While it’s true that the Moon orbits Earth with a certain radius and the Earth also wobbles around the barycenter, the statement about a common center of mass is a fundamental description of their motion. The idea that they rotate independently around their own centers, without a shared reference point, contradicts orbital mechanics for a two-body system.

Additional context: The barycenter’s location depends on the mass ratio. Since the Earth is more massive than the Moon, the barycenter lies inside the Earth’s radius, but not at Earth's center, causing the observed Earth–Moon dynamics. Misconceptions to watch for include imagining two independent, separate orbits about their own centers, or thinking only one body moves while the other is stationary relative to the center of mass.

Question at position 35 The moon and the Earth rotate around a common center of mass.TrueFalse

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