Question 4 • Physics I
An object in low Earth orbit needs to travel roughly 7,800 m/s sideways so that its fall around Earth matches the planet’s curvature. At 6,500 m/s, it is moving too slowly to stay in orbit and would eventually fall back toward Earth. Therefore, the best choice is “The object is not traveling fast enough to match Earth’s curvature.”
AI-written and checked against the verified answer.