What physical principle dictates that the nebula spins faster as its radius shrinks during contraction?
Answer
Conservation of angular momentum
As the vast cloud of gas and dust begins to contract under the overwhelming force of its own gravity, the rotational motion present in the initial cloud intensifies significantly. This behavior is governed strictly by the principle of conservation of angular momentum. This principle dictates that if the mass of a rotating body moves closer to its axis of rotation (i.e., the radius decreases), its rotational speed must increase proportionally to keep the total angular momentum constant. This effect is analogous to an ice skater pulling their arms inward to spin faster, resulting in the rapidly spinning, flattened disk structure.
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