Question

A communication satellite of mass 200 kg is in circular orbit of radius 40000 km measured from the center of the Earth. What is the gravitational force on the satellite, and the fraction is this of its weight at the surface of the Earth?

Answer 1

attempt to the solution:
Given:
\[M1= 200 kg\]
\[M2= 5.98 \times 10^{24} kg\]
\[r= 40000 km = 4.0 \times 10^{7} m\]
\[G= 6.673 \times 10^{-11}N m ^{2}/kg\]

a.)
\[Fgrav= \frac{ GM1M2 }{ r ^{2} }\]
\[Fgrav=\frac{ (6.673\times10^-11)(200)(5.98\times10^{24}) }{ (4.0 \times 10^{7})^{2} }\]
\[Fgrav= 49.88 N\]

b.)
\[W= mg\]
\[= (200)(9.8) = 1960 N\]
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.is this right?

Answer 2

@yahoo!

Answer 3

@sauravshakya

Answer 4

Very correct

Answer 5

u sure?
really?
thnx! :)

Answer 6

Yep..... your method looks correct