Question: What force makes earth to spin around its axis, but around the Sun?

Simon Holyoake answered on 18 Jun 2013:

the earth rotates due to relative angular momentum with the sun, as the earth orbits the sun, the directional components of the forces applied cause the earth to rotate, it then continues as there is nothing to stop it!

The force is gravity, Newton defined gravity as an attractive force between all matter, however we now know this is not stricly true…

Einstein’s theory of relativity states that heavy objects distort space-time, creating gravity “wells” (in the same way as a bowling ball would sink into a mattress) other objects move around these wells in space-time and hence begin to orbit the larger object (in every case it is relative, so as the earth orbits the sun, it also makes the sun move, this is how we spot planets around distant stars, we watch the stars ‘wobble’ as the planet’s gravity pulls on it)

To all intents and purposes the effects are the same, and we refer to it as gravity

phew, long answer!