Question

The following question has two parts. first, answer

Part a: For satellites orbiting Earth, which statement best describes the relationship between the orbital distance of the satellite and the gravitational force it experiences?

a) As distance decreases, force increases.
b) As distance increases, force increases.
c) As distance decreases, force decreases.
d) As distance increases, force is constant.

Part b: How does this gravitational relationship relate to the satellites' orbits?

a) As distance decreases, velocity to remain in orbit increases.
b) As distance increases, velocity to remain in orbit increases.
c) As distance decreases, velocity to remain in orbit decreases.
d) As distance increases, velocity to remain in orbit is constant.

Answer 1

The correct answer to Part a is (a) As distance decreases, force increases, and the correct answer to Part b is (a) As distance decreases, velocity to remain in orbit increases. This relationship is governed by Newton's law of universal gravitation and the principle of orbital velocity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The relationship between the orbital distance of a satellite and the gravitational force it experiences is outlined by Newton's law of universal gravitation, which states that the gravitational force between two objects is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Therefore, the correct answer to Part a is (a) As distance decreases, force increases, because the gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance.

Regarding Part b, the gravitational relationship to the satellites' orbits is such that to remain in orbit, a satellite's velocity will change with its orbital distance. The closer a satellite is to Earth, the faster it must travel to counteract the stronger gravitational pull. Conversely, at a larger distance, the gravitational pull is less, and thus the required orbital velocity decreases. Therefore, the correct answer to Part b is (a) As distance decreases, velocity to remain in orbit increases.