Radius of earth 3,959 miles
Space shuttle orbits 200 miles above earths
Surface
Space shuttle completes 220 degrees of a
Revolution around earth in one day
What is the average speed of the space
Shuttle
To calculate the average speed of the space shuttle, we need to know the distance it travels in one day.
The space shuttle completes 220 degrees of a revolution around Earth in one day. To convert this into the distance traveled, we need to know the circumference of Earth.
The circumference of a circle is calculated using the formula:
C = 2πr
where C is the circumference and r is the radius.
Given that the radius of Earth is 3,959 miles, we can plug this value into the formula:
C = 2π(3,959)
C ≈ 2(3.14)(3,959)
C ≈ 6.28(3,959)
C ≈ 24,857 miles
So the circumference of Earth is approximately 24,857 miles.
Now that we know the circumference, we can calculate the distance traveled by the space shuttle in one day using the concept of arc length.
The space shuttle completes 220 degrees of a revolution, which represents a fraction of the total 360 degrees in a full revolution.
To calculate the distance traveled by the space shuttle in one day, we can find the arc length using the formula:
Arc length = (angle ÷ 360) × circumference
Plugging in the known values:
Arc length = (220 ÷ 360) × 24,857
Arc length ≈ (0.6111) × 24,857
Arc length ≈ 15,173.024 miles
Therefore, the space shuttle travels approximately 15,173.024 miles in one day.
To find the average speed, we divide the total distance traveled by the time it takes:
Average speed = Total distance ÷ Time
Since we are given the distance for one day, we can use 24 hours as the time:
Average speed = 15,173.024 miles ÷ 24 hours
Average speed ≈ 632.209 miles/hour
So, the average speed of the space shuttle is approximately 632.209 miles per hour.