8
QuizMultiple Choice

Orbital Motion — Quiz

Question 8 • Physics

A satellite orbiting Earth has a tangential velocity of 5000 m/s Earth’s mass is 6 times 10 to the 24th power kilograms and its radius is 6 point 4 times 10 to the 6th power m Which is the distance of the satellite from Earth?

Answer
A
1 comma 500 comma 000 m
B
2 comma 240 comma 000 m
C
9 comma 608 comma 000 m
D
16 comma 008 comma 000 m

Explanation

For a circular orbit, gravity supplies the centripetal force, so the orbital radius from Earth’s center is r = GM/v². Using the given values gives r = (6.67 × 10⁻¹¹)(6 × 10²⁴)/(5000)² = 16,008,000 m. The distance above Earth’s surface is 16,008,000 − 6,400,000 = 9,608,000 m, so the answer is C, 9,608,000 m.

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.

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