High School

An 76 kg satellite orbits a distant planet with a radius of 3700 km and a period of 280 minutes. From the radius and period, you calculate the satellite's acceleration to be 0.52 m/s². What is the gravitational force on the satellite?

Answer :

he gravitational force acting on the satellite, with a mass of 76 kg and an acceleration of 0.52 m/s2, is 39.52 Newtons.

The gravitational force on the satellite can be found using Newton's law of universal gravitation, which is given by the formula

  • F = ma,

where

  • F is the gravitational force,
  • m is the mass of the satellite, and
  • a is its acceleration.

Given that the mass of the satellite is 76 kg and the acceleration is 0.52 m/s2, the gravitational force (F) on the satellite is:

F = m *a = 76 kg*0.52 m/s2

= 39.52 N.

Therefore, the gravitational force acting on the satellite is 39.52 Newtons.