Posted by Hannah on Saturday, January 19, 2008 at 10:49pm.
The centripetal acceleration of a satellite in a circular orbit is V^2/R , but V is a function of R also. For an earth satellite
GM/R^2 = V^2/R
where g is the universal constant of gravity and M is the mass of the earth. Therefore
V^2 = GM/R, and V^2 is inversely proportional to R.
That means that the acceleration V^2/R is inversely proportional to R^2. So if R2 = 2 R1, the acceleration at 2 is 1/4 as much.
I could have obtained this result more easily by recognizing that the acceleration is the gravitation force divided by satellite mass m, and the force is inversely proportional to R^2.
Related Questions
Physics - 1. Question: Consider two planets with uniform mass distributions. The...
physics - Two Earth satellites, A and B, each of mass m = 960 kg, are launched ...
Physics - If an artificial earth satellite is in an orbit around the earth’...
Database - 22. Which one of the following schedules has a conflict? A) Sa: r1(X...
maths - if two resistors of r1 and r2 ohms are connected in parallel in an ...
chenistry - State whether each of these functions is symmetric, antisymmetric, ...
calculus - please help! - If two resistors R1 and R2 are connected in parallel, ...
Algebra - Simplify rt= 1/[(1/r1)+ (1/r2)] That looks like the formula for the &...
math - Consider the general quadratic eqaution in standard form, ax^2 + bx + c...
Engineering - Your green house irrigation sytem is plumbed with 3/4" pvc ...
For Further Reading
