If the mass of a satellite is doubled while keeping its orbital radius constant,
Practice Questions
Q1
If the mass of a satellite is doubled while keeping its orbital radius constant, what happens to the gravitational force acting on it?
It doubles.
It remains the same.
It halves.
It quadruples.
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
If the mass of a satellite is doubled while keeping its orbital radius constant, what happens to the gravitational force acting on it?
Step 1: Understand that gravitational force depends on mass and distance.
Step 2: Recall the formula for gravitational force: F = G * (m1 * m2) / r^2, where F is the gravitational force, G is the gravitational constant, m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects, and r is the distance between their centers.
Step 3: Identify that in this scenario, one mass (the satellite's mass) is being doubled while the other mass (the mass of the Earth or the planet it orbits) and the distance (orbital radius) remain constant.
Step 4: Since the gravitational force is directly proportional to the mass of the satellite, if the mass of the satellite is doubled, the gravitational force will also double.
Step 5: Conclude that the gravitational force acting on the satellite will increase and become twice as strong.
Gravitational Force – The gravitational force between two objects is given by Newton's law of universal gravitation, which states that the force is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers.
Mass and Force Relationship – The gravitational force acting on an object in orbit is directly proportional to its mass, meaning if the mass increases, the gravitational force also increases.
