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A satellite circles planet Roton every 6.3 h

in an orbit having a radius of 3.5 × 107 m.
If the radius of Roton is 1.75 × 107 m, what
is the magnitude of the free-fall acceleration
on the surface of Roton?

User Dvex
by
8.6k points

1 Answer

1 vote

Answer:

The period (T) of a satellite in a circular orbit can be determined using the formula:

T = 2πr/v

where r is the radius of the orbit and v is the speed of the satellite.

We can rearrange this formula to solve for v:

v = 2πr/T

Substituting the given values, we get:

v = 2π(3.5 × 10^7 m)/(6.3 h × 3600 s/h) ≈ 5,099 m/s

The centripetal force (F) that keeps the satellite in orbit is given by:

F = mv^2/r

where m is the mass of the satellite.

The gravitational force (Fg) between the satellite and Roton is given by:

Fg = GmM/R^2

where G is the gravitational constant, M is the mass of Roton, and R is the radius of Roton.

Since the satellite is in a circular orbit, the centripetal force is equal to the gravitational force:

mv^2/r = GmM/R^2

Simplifying and solving for M, we get:

M = v^2r/GR^2

Substituting the given values, we get:

M = (5,099 m/s)^2 × 3.5 × 10^7 m/(6.674 × 10^-11 m^3/kg s^2) × (1.75 × 10^7 m)^2 ≈ 8.35 × 10^23 kg

The free-fall acceleration (g) on the surface of Roton is given by:

g = GM/R^2

Substituting the calculated value of M and the given value of R, we get:

g = (6.674 × 10^-11 m^3/kg s^2) × (8.35 × 10^23 kg)/(1.75 × 10^7 m)^2 ≈ 8.73 m/s^2

Therefore, the magnitude of the free-fall acceleration on the surface of Roton is approximately 8.73 m/s^2

User Noah Heldman
by
7.8k points