Assignment:
1.) Go to https://www.fearofphysics.com --> "Visual Physics" --> "Why Satellites Don't Fall"
2.) Discuss your observations of motion for a satellite at a height of 500 miles above the earth, moving at a speed of:
- 0 mph
- 100 mph
- 25000 mph
3.) For a satellite at a height of 500 miles, at what speed must the satellite be traveling to achieve a circular orbit? (A score of 100% will tell you that you have achieved a circular orbit).
4.) Knowing that the Earth has a circumference of about 24,000 miles, how "fast" is someone standing on the equator traveling?
5.) Describe the orbit of a "geostationary" satellite. How is a geostationary satellite useful?
6.) Knowing that a geostationary satellite orbits above the Earth's equator at a height of about 22,240 miles, calculate a geostationary satellite's speed as it orbits around the Earth (be sure to show calculations).
7.) Describe how a satellite is able to maintain an orbit around the Earth without constant propulsion. Include what parameters need to be balanced for orbital motion to occur.
8.) For a satellite already in perfect orbit around the Earth, what happens if:
- the satellite's speed is reduced?
- the satellite's mass is reduced?
9.) Clearly describe (or draw) a "force diagram" of a satellite that is orbiting the Earth. Label all forces acting on the satellite with a single arrow (->), and indicate the direction and magnitude of the "net force" with a double arrow (=>). DO NOT draw any non-forces in the diagram.
(The magnitude of the force is represented by the length of its arrow. Note that "velocity" and inertia is not a force.)