A 400-kg satellite has been placed in a circular orbit 1500 km above the surface of the earth. The acceleration of gravity at this elevation is 6.43 m/s^2. Determine the linear momentum of the satellite, knowing that its orbital speed is 25.6\times 10^3 km/h.
Solution:
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The acceleration due to gravity and the height do not matter when calculating the linear momentum.
Convert the orbital speed from km/h to m/s.
v=25.6\times 10^3 km/h =7111.11 m/s
We can use the following formula to figure out the linear momentum.
L=vm
(Where L is linear momentum, v is velocity, and m is mass)
L=(7111.11)(400)
L=2.84\times 10^6 kg·m/s
Final Answer:
L=2.84\times 10^6 kg·m/s