The Earth’s gravity is strong enough to keep The Moon, an immense celestial body, from flying off into space. It is also weak enough to allow us to jump and throw things in the air. How does this work?

Question

Similarly, why does The Moon’s gravity affect the tides but won’t, for example, cause a paperclip to slide across a desk?

In: Physics

Answer 1

In both cases, you can plot an orbit around the Earth – the moon, being much further away and moving much faster, manages to miss the Earth and make a complete loop. However, when you jump, you’re so much closer that your path intersects the Earth and you collide