Orbits of Satellites Quick Check

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Question
Let G be the universal gravitational constant and mp be the mass of the planet a satellite is orbiting. Which equation could be used to find the velocity of the satellite if it is placed in a low Earth orbit?(1 point)
Responses

v=Gmp(200 km)−−−−−−√
v=Gmp(200 km)−−−−−−√

v=1(200 km)Gmp−−−−√
v=1(200 km)Gmp−−−−√

v=1(7,000 km)Gmp−−−−√
v=1(7,000 km)Gmp−−−−√

v=Gmp(7,000 km)−−−−−−−√
v=Gmp(7,000 km)−−−−−−−√
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1 answer

To find the velocity of a satellite in a low Earth orbit, we can use the formula derived from the gravitational force and centripetal force. The velocity \( v \) of a satellite in orbit is given by

\[ v = \sqrt{\frac{G m_p}{r}} \]

where:

  • \( G \) is the universal gravitational constant,
  • \( m_p \) is the mass of the planet,
  • \( r \) is the distance from the center of the planet to the satellite.

For a low Earth orbit, the radius \( r \) can be approximated as the radius of the Earth plus the altitude of the satellite. The average radius of the Earth is approximately 6,371 km. Therefore, a low Earth orbit at an altitude of 200 km would have:

\[ r \approx 6,371 km + 200 km \approx 6,571 km = 6,571,000 m \]

So the velocity would be calculated using this \( r \).

Among the options provided, the closest to the correct formulation for a satellite at about 7,000 km total radius from the center of the Earth is:

\[ v = \sqrt{\frac{G m_p}{7,000 km}} \]

None of the provided options may show the equation in the right format directly, but if they intended to represent the correct relationship using the effective radius for a low Earth orbit:

The correct form would look like

\[ v = \sqrt{\frac{G m_p}{r}} \]

So based on the provided options, if \( r \) is interpreted as the whole distance from the center of the Earth to the satellite in orbit, the closest match would be:

v=Gmp(7,000 km)−−−−−−−√

It's important to note that the equation format in the options might not match the traditional representation found in textbooks, but conceptually, you're considering the effective radius during the orbit.

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