Question

A satellite is spinning at 6.0 rev/s. The satellite consists of a main body in the shape of a sphere of radius 2.0 m and mass 10,000 kg, and two antennas projecting out from the center of mass of the main body that can be approximated with rods of length 3.0 m each and mass 10 kg. The antennas lie in the plane of rotation. What is the angular momentum of the satellite?

(a) Angular momentum is zero.
(b) Angular momentum is only determined by the main body.
(c) Angular momentum is the sum of the contributions from the main body and both antennas.
(d) Angular momentum depends only on the mass of the satellite.

Answer 1

The angular momentum of the satellite is the sum of the contributions from the main body and the antennas. The main body has angular momentum due to its rotation, and the antennas have angular momentum due to their motion in the plane of rotation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The angular momentum of the satellite is given by the sum of the contributions from the main body and both antennas. The main body of the satellite has angular momentum due to its rotation, and the antennas also have angular momentum due to their motion in the plane of rotation. Therefore, the correct answer is (c) Angular momentum is the sum of the contributions from the main body and both antennas.

To calculate the angular momentum of the main body, we can use the formula:

L = I * ω

where L is the angular momentum, I is the moment of inertia of the main body, and ω is the angular velocity of the main body.

Similarly, to calculate the angular momentum of each antenna, we can use the same formula with the moment of inertia and angular velocity of the antenna.