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Q.What is orbital velocity? Obtain an expression for it.

Telangana TsbieTelangana Board of Intermediate Education (Intermediate 1st Year) 2023Subjective· 4mImportance★★★★★
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Orbital velocity is the speed a satellite needs to stay in circular orbit; equating gravity to centripetal force gives v_o = sqrt(GM/(R+h)) = sqrt(gR^2/(R+h)). For an orbit close to Earth's surface, v_o is about 7.9 km/s.

Definition: Orbital velocity is the velocity with which a satellite must revolve around a planet so that it moves in a stable circular orbit, i.e. the gravitational attraction of the planet just provides the centripetal force needed for the circular motion.

Derivation:

Consider a satellite of mass m moving in a circular orbit of radius (R + h) around a planet of mass M and radius R, where h is the height of the satellite above the surface.

The gravitational force of attraction on the satellite is:

F_gravity = GMm / (R + h)^2

This force provides the centripetal force required for circular motion:

F_centripetal = m v_o^2 / (R + h)

For a stable orbit these are equal:

m v_o^2 / (R + h) = GMm / (R + h)^2

Cancel m and simplify: …

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