Question

Communication satellites are placed at an altitude of about 25,000 miles above the surface of the earth. What is the acceleration due to gravity at this altitude?

A) It is the same as the surface gravity.
B) It is greater than the surface gravity.
C) It is less than the surface gravity.
D) It is negligible at this altitude.

Answer 1

The acceleration due to gravity at an altitude of about 25,000 miles above the Earth's surface is negligible.

Step-by-step explanation:

The acceleration due to gravity at an altitude of about 25,000 miles above the Earth's surface is negligible. At this altitude, the force of gravity becomes weaker because it follows the inverse square law, meaning the gravitational acceleration decreases as the distance from the Earth's center increases.

To understand this, let's compare the acceleration due to gravity at the Earth's surface (9.8 m/s^2) with the acceleration due to gravity at an altitude of 25,000 miles above the surface. Since the force of gravity decreases with distance, the acceleration due to gravity at this altitude is significantly smaller, approaching zero.

Therefore, the correct answer is D) It is negligible at this altitude.