Satellite Motion
Q. A satellite is in a circular orbit around the Earth. If it moves to a higher orbit, what happens to its potential energy?
A.
It increases.
B.
It decreases.
C.
It remains constant.
D.
It becomes zero.
Show solution
Solution
As the satellite moves to a higher orbit, its gravitational potential energy increases due to the increase in distance from the Earth's center.
Correct Answer: A — It increases.
Learn More →
Q. A satellite is in a circular orbit around the Earth. If its speed is doubled, what will happen to its orbital radius?
A.
It will remain the same.
B.
It will double.
C.
It will increase by a factor of four.
D.
It will decrease by a factor of four.
Show solution
Solution
If the speed of a satellite is doubled, the orbital radius will decrease by a factor of four, as orbital speed is inversely proportional to the square root of the radius.
Correct Answer: D — It will decrease by a factor of four.
Learn More →
Q. A satellite is in a circular orbit around the Earth. If its speed is increased, what will happen to its orbit?
A.
It will remain circular
B.
It will become elliptical
C.
It will crash into the Earth
D.
It will escape Earth's gravity
Show solution
Solution
Increasing the speed of a satellite in a circular orbit will cause its orbit to become elliptical.
Correct Answer: B — It will become elliptical
Learn More →
Q. A satellite is in a circular orbit around the Earth. If the radius of the orbit is halved, what happens to the gravitational force acting on the satellite?
A.
It remains the same
B.
It doubles
C.
It quadruples
D.
It decreases by half
Show solution
Solution
The gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance; halving the radius increases the force by a factor of four.
Correct Answer: C — It quadruples
Learn More →
Q. A satellite is in a circular orbit around the Earth. If the satellite's speed is increased, what will happen to its orbit?
A.
It will remain circular
B.
It will become elliptical
C.
It will crash into the Earth
D.
It will escape Earth's gravity
Show solution
Solution
Increasing the speed of a satellite in a circular orbit will cause it to move into an elliptical orbit.
Correct Answer: B — It will become elliptical
Learn More →
Q. A satellite is in a circular orbit at a height of 300 km above the Earth's surface. What is the approximate speed of the satellite?
A.
7.9 km/s
B.
5.0 km/s
C.
10.0 km/s
D.
3.5 km/s
Show solution
Solution
The orbital speed can be calculated using the formula v = √(GM/r). For a height of 300 km, the speed is approximately 7.9 km/s.
Correct Answer: A — 7.9 km/s
Learn More →
Q. A satellite is in a polar orbit. What is the significance of this orbit?
A.
It allows the satellite to cover the entire surface of the Earth.
B.
It is the fastest orbit available.
C.
It is used only for communication satellites.
D.
It is the most stable orbit.
Show solution
Solution
A polar orbit allows the satellite to pass over the entire surface of the Earth as the planet rotates beneath it.
Correct Answer: A — It allows the satellite to cover the entire surface of the Earth.
Learn More →
Q. For a satellite in a circular orbit, which of the following is true about its kinetic and potential energy?
A.
K.E. = P.E.
B.
K.E. > P.E.
C.
K.E. < P.E.
D.
K.E. = 0
Show solution
Solution
For a satellite in a circular orbit, the kinetic energy is less than the potential energy, as K.E. = -1/2 P.E.
Correct Answer: C — K.E. < P.E.
Learn More →
Q. For a satellite in a low Earth orbit, what is the approximate altitude range? (2000)
A.
200-2000 km
B.
500-10000 km
C.
1000-20000 km
D.
30000-40000 km
Show solution
Solution
Low Earth orbit satellites typically operate at altitudes ranging from about 200 km to 2000 km above the Earth's surface.
Correct Answer: A — 200-2000 km
Learn More →
Q. For a satellite in a stable orbit, what must be true about the centripetal force and gravitational force?
A.
Centripetal force is greater than gravitational force
B.
Centripetal force is less than gravitational force
C.
Centripetal force equals gravitational force
D.
Centripetal force is independent of gravitational force
Show solution
Solution
For a satellite in a stable orbit, the centripetal force required for circular motion equals the gravitational force acting on the satellite.
Correct Answer: C — Centripetal force equals gravitational force
Learn More →
Q. If a satellite is in a geostationary orbit, what is its orbital period?
A.
24 hours
B.
12 hours
C.
6 hours
D.
1 hour
Show solution
Solution
A geostationary satellite has an orbital period equal to the Earth's rotation period, which is 24 hours.
Correct Answer: A — 24 hours
Learn More →
Q. If a satellite is in a stable orbit, what can be said about the net force acting on it?
A.
It is zero
B.
It is equal to the gravitational force
C.
It is equal to the centripetal force
D.
It is equal to the sum of gravitational and centripetal forces
Show solution
Solution
In a stable orbit, the net force acting on the satellite is zero because the gravitational force provides the necessary centripetal force.
Correct Answer: A — It is zero
Learn More →
Q. If a satellite is moved to a higher orbit, what happens to its orbital period?
A.
It decreases.
B.
It increases.
C.
It remains the same.
D.
It becomes zero.
Show solution
Solution
The orbital period of a satellite increases when it is moved to a higher orbit, according to Kepler's third law.
Correct Answer: B — It increases.
Learn More →
Q. If a satellite is moving in a circular orbit, what is the relationship between its centripetal acceleration and gravitational acceleration?
A.
Centripetal = Gravitational
B.
Centripetal > Gravitational
C.
Centripetal < Gravitational
D.
No relationship
Show solution
Solution
For a satellite in a stable circular orbit, the centripetal acceleration is equal to the gravitational acceleration.
Correct Answer: A — Centripetal = Gravitational
Learn More →
Q. If a satellite is moving in a circular orbit, what type of energy does it possess?
A.
Only kinetic energy
B.
Only potential energy
C.
Both kinetic and potential energy
D.
Neither kinetic nor potential energy
Show solution
Solution
A satellite in a circular orbit possesses both kinetic energy due to its motion and potential energy due to its position in the gravitational field.
Correct Answer: C — Both kinetic and potential energy
Learn More →
Q. If a satellite's altitude is doubled, how does its orbital speed change?
A.
Increases by √2
B.
Decreases by √2
C.
Remains the same
D.
Increases by 2
Show solution
Solution
If a satellite's altitude is doubled, its orbital speed decreases by √2.
Correct Answer: B — Decreases by √2
Learn More →
Q. If a satellite's altitude is increased, what happens to its orbital period?
A.
It decreases
B.
It increases
C.
It remains constant
D.
It becomes zero
Show solution
Solution
As the altitude increases, the orbital period increases due to the greater distance from the Earth's center.
Correct Answer: B — It increases
Learn More →
Q. If a satellite's speed is less than the required orbital speed, what will happen?
A.
It will remain in orbit.
B.
It will fall back to Earth.
C.
It will escape into space.
D.
It will move to a higher orbit.
Show solution
Solution
If a satellite's speed is less than the required orbital speed, it will not have enough centripetal force to maintain its orbit and will fall back to Earth.
Correct Answer: B — It will fall back to Earth.
Learn More →
Q. If the mass of a satellite is doubled while keeping its orbital radius constant, what happens to the gravitational force acting on it?
A.
It doubles.
B.
It remains the same.
C.
It halves.
D.
It quadruples.
Show solution
Solution
The gravitational force acting on the satellite will double if its mass is doubled, as gravitational force is directly proportional to mass.
Correct Answer: A — It doubles.
Learn More →
Q. If the mass of the Earth is M and the radius is R, what is the gravitational force acting on a satellite of mass m at a height h?
A.
GmM/R^2
B.
GmM/(R+h)^2
C.
GmM/(R-h)^2
D.
GmM/h^2
Show solution
Solution
The gravitational force F acting on a satellite at height h is given by F = GmM/(R+h)^2, where G is the gravitational constant.
Correct Answer: B — GmM/(R+h)^2
Learn More →
Q. If the radius of the Earth is 6400 km, what is the total distance from the center of the Earth to a satellite in a geostationary orbit? (2000)
A.
36000 km
B.
42000 km
C.
32000 km
D.
28000 km
Show solution
Solution
The distance from the center of the Earth to a geostationary satellite is approximately 42000 km.
Correct Answer: B — 42000 km
Learn More →
Q. If the radius of the Earth is R and a satellite is in a circular orbit at a height h above the Earth's surface, what is the expression for the orbital speed v of the satellite?
A.
v = sqrt(GM/(R+h))
B.
v = sqrt(GM/R)
C.
v = sqrt(GM/(R-h))
D.
v = sqrt(GM/(R^2 + h^2))
Show solution
Solution
The orbital speed v of a satellite is given by v = sqrt(GM/(R+h)), where M is the mass of the Earth and G is the gravitational constant.
Correct Answer: A — v = sqrt(GM/(R+h))
Learn More →
Q. If the radius of the Earth is R and a satellite is in a geostationary orbit, what is the height of the satellite above the Earth's surface?
A.
R/2
B.
R
C.
R/3
D.
R/4
Show solution
Solution
A geostationary satellite orbits at a height of approximately 36,000 km above the Earth's surface, which is about R (the radius of the Earth) plus the height of the satellite.
Correct Answer: B — R
Learn More →
Q. If the radius of the Earth is R and a satellite is in a low Earth orbit at a height h, what is the expression for the gravitational force acting on the satellite?
A.
G * M * m / (R + h)^2
B.
G * M * m / R^2
C.
G * M * m / (R - h)^2
D.
G * M * m / (R + h)
Show solution
Solution
The gravitational force acting on the satellite is given by Newton's law of gravitation, which states that F = G * (M * m) / (R + h)^2, where M is the mass of the Earth and m is the mass of the satellite.
Correct Answer: A — G * M * m / (R + h)^2
Learn More →
Q. If the radius of the Earth is R, what is the gravitational acceleration at a height R above the Earth's surface?
A.
g/4
B.
g/2
C.
g
D.
g/8
Show solution
Solution
At a height R above the Earth's surface, the gravitational acceleration is g/4, derived from the formula g' = g(R/(R+h))^2.
Correct Answer: A — g/4
Learn More →
Q. If the radius of the Earth is R, what is the radius of a satellite in a geostationary orbit?
Show solution
Solution
The radius of a geostationary orbit is approximately 3R, where R is the radius of the Earth.
Correct Answer: C — 3R
Learn More →
Q. If the radius of the Earth were to double, what would happen to the gravitational force experienced by a satellite in low Earth orbit?
A.
It would double
B.
It would remain the same
C.
It would decrease to one-fourth
D.
It would increase to four times
Show solution
Solution
The gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance. If the radius doubles, the force decreases to one-fourth.
Correct Answer: C — It would decrease to one-fourth
Learn More →
Q. If the radius of the orbit of a satellite is doubled, what happens to its orbital speed?
A.
It remains the same
B.
It doubles
C.
It increases by a factor of √2
D.
It decreases by a factor of √2
Show solution
Solution
The orbital speed v is given by v = √(GM/r). If r is doubled, v decreases by a factor of √2.
Correct Answer: D — It decreases by a factor of √2
Learn More →
Q. The gravitational force acting on a satellite in orbit is dependent on which of the following?
A.
Mass of the satellite only
B.
Mass of the Earth only
C.
Distance from the Earth
D.
All of the above
Show solution
Solution
The gravitational force acting on a satellite depends on the mass of the satellite, the mass of the Earth, and the distance from the Earth according to Newton's law of gravitation.
Correct Answer: D — All of the above
Learn More →
Q. The time period of a satellite in a low Earth orbit is approximately how many minutes?
A.
90 minutes
B.
60 minutes
C.
120 minutes
D.
30 minutes
Show solution
Solution
The time period of a satellite in a low Earth orbit is approximately 90 minutes due to its close proximity to the Earth.
Correct Answer: A — 90 minutes
Learn More →
Showing 1 to 30 of 78 (3 Pages)