I'm looking for knowledgeable help to resolve an argument between myself and someone else.
A bowling ball is positioned, say one hundred thousand miles from the Earth, motionless, relative to the Earth. It then begins to fall, finally crashing into the planet after some period of time.
Another planet, of similar mass and dimensions of the Earth, is positioned at exactly the same distance as the ball, also motionless. The two planets begin to pull together and after some period of time, collide, spoiling a lot of people's day.
Would it take the bowling ball longer to collide with the Earth than the other planet, the same amount of time, or less time?
A bowling ball is positioned, say one hundred thousand miles from the Earth, motionless, relative to the Earth. It then begins to fall, finally crashing into the planet after some period of time.
Another planet, of similar mass and dimensions of the Earth, is positioned at exactly the same distance as the ball, also motionless. The two planets begin to pull together and after some period of time, collide, spoiling a lot of people's day.
Would it take the bowling ball longer to collide with the Earth than the other planet, the same amount of time, or less time?