How did the law of conservation of angular momentum affect the solar nebula during its collapse?
Answer
It caused the nebula to spin faster as it shrank
Conservation of angular momentum requires that as a rotating object decreases its radius, it must increase its rotational velocity to maintain the same total angular momentum. As the solar nebula collapsed inward toward its center of mass, the material drew closer to the center, similar to an ice skater pulling their arms inward to spin faster. This dramatic increase in rotation speed played a crucial role in shaping the nebula, as the rotational force pushed material outward along the equatorial plane, transforming the original spherical cloud into a flat, spinning disk.
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