Question

18. The acceleration of a satellite can be derived by equating the universal gravitational force and the centripetal force. (1 point)ResponsesTrueTrueFalse

Answer 1

True. The acceleration of a satellite in orbit can be derived by equating the gravitational force acting on it (from the Earth or another celestial body) and the centripetal force required to keep it in circular motion. This leads to the equation \( \frac{G M m}{r^2} = \frac{m v^2}{r} \), where \( G \) is the gravitational constant, \( M \) is the mass of the Earth, \( m \) is the mass of the satellite, \( r \) is the distance from the center of the Earth to the satellite, and \( v \) is the orbital speed of the satellite. This shows that the statement is true.