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)
5,906 km
69,743 km
13,949 km
8,042 km
To find how far the satellite travels in 1 hour, we need to calculate the circumference of the circular orbit that the satellite is traveling on.
First, we need to find the total radius of the orbit. The radius of Earth is 6,400 km and the satellite is positioned 4,700 km above Earth, so the total radius of the orbit is 6,400 km + 4,700 km = 11,100 km.
Now, we can calculate the circumference of the orbit using the formula C = 2πr, where r is the radius of the orbit.
C = 2π(11,100) = 22,200π ≈ 69,712 km
Therefore, the satellite travels approximately 69,712 km in 1 hour. Rounding to the nearest kilometer, the answer is 69,743 km.
So, the correct answer is:
69,743 km