The mean radius of Earth is about 6.436 $\times$ 10⁶ m.A satellite in a circular orbit 3.20 $\times$ 10⁶ m above the surface of Earth has an acceleration of approximately A)39.2 m/s² B)22.1 m/s² C)14.2 m/s² D)6.54 m/s² E)4.36 m/s²

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The gravitational acceleration at a distance from the center of the Earth is given by $ g = \frac{GM}{r^2} $. The satellite's distance from the Earth's center is the Earth's radius plus the altitude of the satellite, which is $ 6.436 \times 10^6 \, \text{m} + 3.20 \times 10^6 \, \text{m} = 9.636 \times 10^6 \, \text{m} $. Using this distance, the acceleration is approximately 4.36 m/s².

The Mean Radius of Earth Is About 6 ×\times× 106 M ×\times×

The Mean Radius of Earth Is About 6 $\times$ 10⁶ M $\times$