What is the gravitational force acting on a satellite of mass m in orbit at a height h above the Earth's surface?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
What is the gravitational force acting on a satellite of mass m in orbit at a height h above the Earth's surface?
GmM/(R+h)^2
GmM/R^2
GmM/(R-h)^2
GmM/(R+h)
The gravitational force acting on a satellite in orbit is given by F = GmM/(R+h)^2, where R is the radius of the Earth.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: What is the gravitational force acting on a satellite of mass m in orbit at a height h above the Earth's surface?
Solution: The gravitational force acting on a satellite in orbit is given by F = GmM/(R+h)^2, where R is the radius of the Earth.
Steps: 5
Step 1: Understand that the gravitational force is the force that pulls objects towards each other, in this case, the Earth and the satellite.
Step 2: Identify the variables: m is the mass of the satellite, M is the mass of the Earth, R is the radius of the Earth, and h is the height of the satellite above the Earth's surface.
Step 3: Recognize that the distance from the center of the Earth to the satellite is R + h (the radius of the Earth plus the height of the satellite).
Step 4: Use the formula for gravitational force, which is F = G * (m * M) / (R + h)^2, where G is the gravitational constant.
Step 5: Substitute the known values into the formula to calculate the gravitational force acting on the satellite.
