The period of an Earth satellite depends on the satellite's
A)mass.
B)weight on Earth.
C)radial distance from Earth.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The period of an Earth satellite depends only on its radial distance from Earth. This is because the gravitational force that the Earth exerts on the satellite weakens with distance from the Earth, and the speed required for the satellite to maintain its orbit decreases as the gravitational force decreases. Only the distance from the Earth determines the time it takes for a satellite to complete one orbit. The mass of the satellite does not affect its period, since Kepler's third law states that the period of a satellite is proportional to the square root of the cube of the distance from the center of mass of the two objects. Weight is a measure of gravitational force on an object, which varies depending on the location and gravitational field strength, but does not directly affect the period of an Earth satellite.

The Period of an Earth Satellite Depends on the Satellite's