# Mass - Gravitational pull - centrifugal force

In relation to mass/gravitational/centrifugal force. Is the increased gravitational force due to the increase in mass of a planet (i.e. earth) from meteorites, etc.. directly proportional to the centrifugal force of the planetary body?

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The gravitational force that a planet exerts on another massive body depends only on the mass of the planet, the mass of the body and the distance between them. The centrifugal force, however, also depends on the angular velocity of the planet, which is independent of mass.

So no, there is no proportionality between these two forces.

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Thanks for the answer! So if I understand, correct me if I am wrong, if a sufficient amount of mass is added to earth via dust/meteorites, then earth's distance to the sun would decrease, and it's velocity would increase? –  Xavier Jun 26 '13 at 11:53
If the Earth's mass increased with time, then yes, theoretical expectation is that the Earth's orbital radius would shrink with time and its angular velocity around the sun would increase. The effect, however, is negligible because the mass of the Earth is so much larger than anything it can accumulate via interplanetary dust... For further reading, see physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=297237 –  theSkinEffect Jun 26 '13 at 13:17