The total electromagnetic power emitted by the sun is 3.8 × 10²⁶ W. What is the radiation pressure on a totally absorbing satellite at the orbit of Mercury, which has an orbital radius of 5.8 × 10¹⁰ m? (c = 3.00 × 10⁸ m/s, μ₀ = 4π × 10^-7 T ∙ m/A, ε₀ = 8.85 × 10^-12 C²/N ∙ m²) A) 30 µPa B) 0.30 µPa C) 0.030 µPa D) 300 µPa E) 3.0 µPa

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The radiation pressure is given by:$$P = \frac{1}{c} \frac{P_{em}}{4\pi r^2}$$where:* P is the radiation pressure* c is the speed of light* P_em is the total electromagnetic power emitted by the sun* r is the distance from the sun to the satellitePlugging in the given values, we get:$$P = \frac{1}{3.00 	imes 10^8 	ext{ m/s}} \frac{3.8 	imes 10^{26} 	ext{ W}}{4\pi (5.8 	imes 10^{10} 	ext{ m})^2} = 30 \mu	ext{Pa}$$Therefore, the radiation pressure on a totally absorbing satellite at the orbit of Mercury is 30 µPa.

The Total Electromagnetic Power Emitted by the Sun Is 3