Conceptual Physics (12th Edition)

Published by Addison-Wesley
ISBN 10: 0321909100
ISBN 13: 978-0-32190-910-7

Chapter 8 - Think and Explain - Page 156-158: 99

Answer

Mutual gravitational attraction of particles causes the cloud to condense. This situation is similar to the one shown in Figure 8.52. The decreased radius of the cloud results in faster angular speed because of the conservation of angular momentum. The higher tangential speed of the equatorial matter was too high to sustain, and matter moved outward, resulting in the disk shape we observe today.
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