A satellite is in a circular orbit around the Earth. What happens to its gravita
Practice Questions
Q1
A satellite is in a circular orbit around the Earth. What happens to its gravitational potential energy as it moves to a higher orbit?
It increases.
It decreases.
It remains constant.
It becomes zero.
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
A satellite is in a circular orbit around the Earth. What happens to its gravitational potential energy as it moves to a higher orbit?
Step 1: Understand that a satellite orbits the Earth due to gravity.
Step 2: Recognize that gravitational potential energy depends on the distance from the Earth.
Step 3: Note that as the satellite moves to a higher orbit, it gets farther away from the Earth.
Step 4: Realize that increasing distance from the Earth means the gravitational potential energy increases.
Step 5: Conclude that the satellite's gravitational potential energy increases as it moves to a higher orbit.
Gravitational Potential Energy – The energy an object possesses due to its position in a gravitational field, which increases with distance from the mass exerting the gravitational force.
Orbital Mechanics – The study of the motion of objects in orbit, including the effects of gravitational forces on their trajectories.
