1 Consider a satellite in a circular orbit around the Earth. Why is it important
ID: 1370862 • Letter: 1
Question
1 Consider a satellite in a circular orbit around the Earth.
Why is it important to give a satellite a horizontal speed when placing it in orbit?
What will happen if the horizontal speed is too small?
What will happen if the horizontal speed is too large?
2 If you drop an object from a distance of 1 meter above the ground, where would it fall to the ground in the shortest time: Atop Mt. Everest or in New York?
3 Why do the astronauts aboard the space station appear to be weightless?
4 Why do the passengers on a high-flying airplane not appear weightless, similar to the astronauts on the space station?
5 A ranger needs to capture a monkey hanging on a tree branch. The ranger aims his dart gun directly at the monkey and fires the tranquilizer dart. However, the monkey lets go of the branch at exactly the same time as the ranger fires the dart. Will the monkey get hit or will it avoid the dart?
Explanation / Answer
1. speed is necessary to provide necessary centrfugal force. other wise the object would fall down to earth after vertical motion.
if the horizontal speed is too small the object will fall back on earth.
if the horizontal speed is too high, the object would escape the gravitational field of earth.
2. it would fall to ground faster in New York. as acceleration due to gravity is more near the surface of earth and decreases with increase in height.
3. Astronauts appear weightless due to lack of gravity in space.
4. a high flying plane is inside the earths gravtational field,hence the passegers do not appear weightless.
5. the monkey would get hit as the vertical dsplacement of monkey and the dart would be same.
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