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Introduction to SAT II Physics - FreeExamPapers

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EXAMPLE<br />

A satellite of mass is launched from the surface of the Earth in<strong>to</strong> an orbit of radius , where<br />

is the radius of the Earth. How much work is done <strong>to</strong> get it in<strong>to</strong> orbit?<br />

The work done getting the satellite from one place <strong>to</strong> another is equal <strong>to</strong> the change in the<br />

satellite’s potential energy. If its potential energy on the surface of the Earth is<br />

and its potential<br />

energy when it is in orbit is<br />

, then the amount of work done is:<br />

Energy of an Orbiting Satellite<br />

Suppose a satellite of mass<br />

is in orbit around the Earth at a radius R. We know the kinetic<br />

energy of the satellite is KE = 1 / 2 mv 2 . We also know that we can express centripetal force,<br />

, as<br />

get:<br />

= mv 2 /R. Accordingly, we can substitute this equation in<strong>to</strong> the equation for kinetic energy and<br />

Because<br />

is equal <strong>to</strong> the gravitational force, we can substitute New<strong>to</strong>n’s Law of Universal<br />

Gravitation in for :<br />

We know that the potential energy of the satellite is<br />

, so the <strong>to</strong>tal energy of the<br />

satellite is the sum, E = KE + U:<br />

Weightlessness<br />

People rarely get <strong>to</strong> experience firsthand the phenomenon of weightlessness, but that doesn’t keep<br />

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