A communications satellite is in a synchronous orbit that is 3.00 107 m directly above the equator. The satellite is located midway between Quito, Equador, and Belem, Brazil; two cities almost on the equator that are separated by a distance of 3.10 106 m. Find the time it takes for a telephone call to go by way of satellite between these cities. Ignore the curvature of the earth

To find the time it takes for a telephone call to go by way of a satellite between these two cities, we need to consider the distance traveled by the signal and the speed at which the signal travels.

First, let's find the total distance the signal has to travel. Since the satellite is located midway between Quito and Belem, the signal needs to travel from Quito to the satellite, and then from the satellite to Belem. Therefore, the total distance is twice the distance between Quito and Belem.

Total Distance = 2 * 3.10 * 10^6 m = 6.20 * 10^6 m

Next, we need to calculate the speed at which the signal travels. The speed of light is commonly used as the speed of signal transmission. The speed of light in a vacuum is approximately 3.00 * 10^8 m/s.

Speed of Signal = 3.00 * 10^8 m/s

Finally, we can use the formula Time = Distance / Speed to find the time it takes for the telephone call to go by way of the satellite.

Time = Total Distance / Speed of Signal

Plugging in the values, we get:

Time = (6.20 * 10^6 m) / (3.00 * 10^8 m/s)

Calculating the division, we get:

Time ≈ 0.02067 s

Therefore, it takes approximately 0.02067 seconds for a telephone call to go by way of satellite between Quito and Belem.