A satellite is in a circular orbit around the Earth. If it moves to a higher orb
Practice Questions
Q1
A satellite is in a circular orbit around the Earth. If it moves to a higher orbit, what happens to its potential energy?
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. If it moves to a higher orbit, what happens to its potential energy?
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 center of the Earth.
Step 3: Realize that when the satellite moves to a higher orbit, it is moving further away from the Earth's center.
Step 4: Conclude that as the distance increases, the gravitational potential energy of the satellite also increases.
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 relationship between altitude and potential energy.
