Flat as a Pancake
The solar systems, galaxies, black hole accretion disks that we can see are flat. Why is flatness a preferred shape for so many space objects? Here is why our solar system is flat.
Why It Matters
- Our solar system formed 4.6 billion years ago from a nebular cloud.
- The swirling dust and gas of the nebular cloud was shapeless but then objects coalesced within it due to gravity.
With the link below, learn more about our flat solar system. Then answer the following questions.
- Minute Physics, Why is the Solar System Flat? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmNXKqeUtJM
- What is angular momentum?
- Why do particles end up in a plane in 3-dimensional space?
- Why does the cloud keep spinning?
- Why would a solar system or galaxy not be flat in a 4-dimensional system?
- Why is it good that we live in a 3-dimensional universe?