High School

What is the gravitational force, to the nearest Newton, on a satellite of mass 100.8 kilograms in an orbit of 38,400 kilometers? (The radius of the Earth is approximately 6,400 kilometers.)

Answer :

Final answer:

The gravitational force on a satellite of mass 100.8 kg in orbit 38,400 km from Earth can be calculated using Newton's universal law of gravitation with the gravitational constant, Earth's mass, the satellite's mass, and their separation distance.

Explanation:

To calculate the gravitational force on a satellite of mass 100.8 kilograms in orbit 38,400 kilometers from Earth, we will use Newton's universal law of gravitation: F = G × (m1 × m2) / r^2 Where

  • F is the magnitude of the gravitational force,
  • G is the gravitational constant (6.674 × 10-11 N·m²/kg²),
  • m1 is the mass of the Earth (approximately 5.972 × 1024 kg),
  • m2 is the mass of the satellite (100.8 kg), and
  • r is the distance from the center of Earth to the satellite.

The radius of Earth is about 6,400 kilometers, so the distance r becomes 6,400 km + 38,400 km = 44,800 km, or 44,800,000 meters. Plugging these values into the formula: F = (6.674 × 10-11 N·m²/kg²) × (5.972 × 1024 kg × 100.8 kg) / (44,800,000 m)^2 After calculating, we can round off the gravitational force to the nearest Newton.

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