A satellite is moving around the earth with speed v in a circular orbit of radius r. If the orbit radius is decreased by 1%, its speed will
Correct Answer :
Increase by 0.5%
Solution :
The correct option is: Increase by 0.5%
Step-by-Step Derivation and Explanation:
1. Recall the formula for orbital speed:
A satellite of mass orbiting the Earth of mass in a circular orbit of radius experiences a gravitational force that provides the necessary centripetal force for its circular motion.
The equation is:
Solving for the orbital speed , we get:
where is the universal gravitational constant and is the mass of the Earth.
2. Express the relationship using proportionality:
Since and are constants, the orbital speed is inversely proportional to the square root of the orbit radius :
3. Use the approximation for small percentage changes:
Taking the natural logarithm on both sides of , we get:
Differentiating both sides to find the fractional change, we obtain:
Multiplying by 100 to express this in percentage terms:
4. Substitute the given values:
We are given that the orbit radius is decreased by 1%, which means:
Substituting this value into our percentage change equation:
5. Conclusion:
A positive sign indicates an increase. Therefore, if the orbit radius decreases by 1%, the speed of the satellite will increase by 0.5%.
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