Question

1. A 700 kg satellite is in orbit 2.4 x 106 meters from the center of the Earth. What is the force of
gravity on the satellite?​

Answer 1

Answer:

$4.8 \cdot 10^4 N$

Explanation:

The force of gravity acting on the satellite is given by:

$F=\frac{GMm}{r^2}$

where

G is the gravitational constant

$M=5.98\cdot 10^{24} kg$ is the Earth's mass

m is the mass of the satellite

r is the distance of the satellite from the Earth's centre

Here we have

m = 700 kg

$r=2.4\cdot 10^6 m$

Substituting into the equation, we find:

$F=\frac{(6.67\cdot 10^{-11})(5.98\cdot 10^{24})(700)}{(2.4\cdot 10^6)^2}=4.8 \cdot 10^4 N$

Note that the distance mentioned in the problem (2.4 x 10^6 meters) is not realistic, since it is less than the radius of the Earth (6.37 x 10^6 meters).