6.6 Satellites and Kepler’s Laws: An Argument for Simplicity
Elliptical orbits, equal areas swept in equal times, and the period-radius law derived for circular orbits from gravitation.
College Physics 2e, 6.6 Satellites and Kepler’s Laws: An Argument for Simplicity
4 exercises
6.6 Exercise 3
Calculate the mass of the Sun based on data for Earth’s orbit and compare the value obtained with the Sun’s actual mass.
6.6 Exercise 5
Find the ratio of the mass of Jupiter to that of Earth based on data in the table.
Integrated Concepts
Space debris left from old satellites and their launchers is becoming a hazard to other satellites. (a) Calculate the speed of a satellite in an orbit 900 km above Earth’s surface. (b) Suppose a loose rivet is in an orbit of the same radius that intersects the satellite’s orbit at an angle of relative to Earth. What is the velocity of the rivet relative to the satellite just before striking it…
Unreasonable Results
(a) Based on Kepler’s laws and information on the orbital characteristics of the Moon, calculate the orbital radius for an Earth satellite having a period of 1.00 h. (b) What is unreasonable about this result? (c) What is unreasonable or inconsistent about the premise of a 1.00 h orbit?
Adapted from College Physics © 2022 Rice University. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Sources: College Physics 2e, College Physics for AP® Courses 2e. Imported at revision f98d7a7.