Topic Menu

Cyber-chess a chess instruction site

Gravitational Fields Questions

Q6. Communications satellites are usually placed in a geo-synchronous orbit.

(a) State two features of a geo-synchronous orbit.

(2 marks)

(b) Given that the mass of the Earth is 6.00 × 1024 kg and its mean radius is 6.40 × 106 m,

(i) show that the radius of a geo-synchronous orbit must be 4.23 × 107 m,

(ii) calculate the increase in potential energy of a satellite of mass 750 kg when it is raised from the Earth's surface into a geo-synchronous orbit.

(6 marks)

(Total 8 marks)