208k views
5 votes
a 650 kg satellite is in a circular orbit around earth at a height of 350 km above earth's surface. what is this satellite's kinetic energy?

User Ansil
by
7.5k points

1 Answer

4 votes

The kinetic energy of a 650 kg satellite in a circular orbit around Earth at 350 km above the surface and with a velocity of 8 km/s is 20.8 x 10⁹ Joules.

The student is asking about calculating the kinetic energy of a satellite in orbit around the Earth. The kinetic energy of an object, including a satellite, can be determined using the formula: KE = 1/2 mv², where KE represents kinetic energy, m is the mass of the satellite, and v is its velocity.

To calculate the kinetic energy of a satellite that has a mass of 650 kg and a velocity of 8 km/s, first convert the velocity into meters per second (since 1 km/s = 1000 m/s), which gives us 8000 m/s. Then we can plug these values into the formula to get: KE = 1/2 (650 kg)(8000 m/s)², which equals 20,800,000,000 J or 20.8 x 10⁹ Joules after calculation.

--The given question is incomplete, the complete question is

"A 650 kg satellite is in a circular orbit around earth at a height of 350 km above earth's surface. The satellite's velocity is 8 km/s. what is this satellite's kinetic energy?"--

User Whytewolf
by
7.2k points