What primary process caused the center of the solar nebula to heat up during collapse?
Answer
Helmholtz contraction involving gravitational potential energy conversion
Helmholtz contraction describes the conversion of gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy as matter falls inward. In the solar nebula, this rapid contraction forced particles to collide with one another with increasing frequency and intensity. These frequent and energetic collisions generated immense heat. Because the density was highest at the center, the accumulation of matter resulted in extreme temperatures, eventually becoming high enough to ignite the nuclear fusion process that powers the Sun. This was a conversion of motion and gravity into intense thermal energy.
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