A weather satellite in circular orbit around Earth completes one orbit every 5 hours. The radius of Earth is about 6,400 km and the satellite is positioned 4,700 km above the Earth. How far does the satellite travel in 1 hour? Round your answer to the nearest kilometer. (1 point) Responses 5,906 km 5,906 km 69,743 km 69,743 km 13,949 km 13,949 km 8,042 km
To find the distance the satellite travels in 1 hour, we first need to find the circumference of the circular orbit.
The radius of the Earth + altitude of the satellite = 6400 km + 4700 km = 11,100 km
The circumference of the circular orbit = 2πr = 2π(11,100 km) = 22,200π km
Since the satellite completes one orbit every 5 hours, in 1 hour it travels 1/5 of the circumference:
(1/5) * 22,200π ≈ 13,949 km
Therefore, the satellite travels approximately 13,949 km in 1 hour. The closest option is 13,949 km.