A satellite orbiting Earth at an orbital radius r has a velocity v. Which represents the velocity if the satellite is moved to an orbital radius of 4r?(1 point)

Responses

12v
1 half v

4v
4 v

2v
2 v

14v

1 answer

To determine how the velocity of a satellite changes when its orbital radius is altered, we can use the formula for the orbital velocity of a satellite in a circular orbit, which is given by:

\[ v = \sqrt{\frac{GM}{r}} \]

where \( v \) is the orbital velocity, \( G \) is the gravitational constant, \( M \) is the mass of the Earth, and \( r \) is the orbital radius.

If the satellite is moved to an orbital radius of \( 4r \), the new velocity \( v' \) can be calculated as follows:

\[ v' = \sqrt{\frac{GM}{4r}} \]

This can be rewritten using the original velocity \( v \):

\[ v' = \sqrt{\frac{1}{4}} \cdot \sqrt{\frac{GM}{r}} = \frac{1}{2} \cdot v \]

Thus, when the satellite is moved to an orbital radius of \( 4r \), its new velocity will be:

\[ v' = \frac{1}{2} v \]

So the correct response is:

1 half v.