Posted by Satori
(here)
Posted by Bill Ryan
(here)
Posted by Ron Mauer Sr
(here)
If the mass of the moon were different (solid or hollow) would that change the trajectory or speed of the moon as it revolved around earth?
A technical answer: no, it makes no difference. Orbits depend only on mass, distance and angular velocity, not the size of the object. So whether it's small and dense or large and hollow doesn't affect the orbit at all.
The question dealt with mass, not size.
What if the moon was small and hollow, or large and dense? Also, small or large—relative to what? Earth? Dense, relative to what? The moon as it is now? Which is what?
What about the effect of other celestial bodies on the moon?