What physical law dictates that the contracting solar nebula spins faster as its volume decreases?
Answer
Conservation of angular momentum.
As the massive, diffuse solar nebula began to contract under the influence of gravity, its rotation rate necessarily increased. This acceleration is governed by the principle of the conservation of angular momentum. This phenomenon is directly analogous to an ice skater who spins faster when they pull their arms inward toward their body. This increased rotational speed was the physical driver that caused the spherical nebula to flatten into the characteristic rotating accretion disk structure.
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