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Suppose the orbital radius of a satellite is quadrupled. Does the period of the satellite increase, stay the same, or decrease?

1) increase
2) stay the same
3) decrease

1 Answer

1 vote

Final answer:

The period of the satellite increases when the orbital radius is quadrupled, as per Kepler's third law.

Step-by-step explanation:

When the orbital radius of a satellite is quadrupled, according to Kepler's third law, the orbital period of the satellite increases. Kepler's law states that the square of the period (T) of an orbit is proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis (r) of the orbit. This relationship can be given as T² ≈ r³ for orbits around the same central body. Therefore, if the orbital radius is quadrupled (rnew = 4 × rold), the new period Tnew will be related to the old period Told through the relationship (Tnew)² = (4³) × (Told)², which means that the new period is 8 times the old period (since 4³ = 64 and the square root of 64 is 8). Consequently, the period of the satellite increases.

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