The Legacy of Newton, Gallileo, and Leibniz: Quiz

Problem 1

A satellite in geosynchronous orbit completes its trip around the Earth in 24 hours, so that it appears to be stationary when viewed from the surface of the Earth. Such a satellite orbits at an altitude of 35,880 kilometers, and the radius of the Earth is 6370 kilometers.

  1. How far does the satellite travel in 24 hours?
  2. What is the velocity of the satellite?

Answers, problem 1

  1. The radius of the satellite's orbit is 35,880 + 6370 = 42,250 km, so it travels 2π(42,250) km = 265,465 km.
  2. Its velocity is 265,465 km / 24 hours = 3.073 km/sec.

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