III. Long Answer Questions · Q12
Q.Derive an expression for energy of a satellite.
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Step 1. The gravitational potential energy of a satellite of mass orbiting at height is .
Step 2. Its kinetic energy, using the orbital speed from the circular-orbit condition, is
Step 3. Adding the two:
Step 4. The negative sign means the satellite's total mechanical energy is less than the energy it would have if completely free of Earth's gravity at rest at infinity (where ) -- so the satellite is permanently gravitationally bound to the Earth. …
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