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Escape velocity is the minimum initial velocity with which an object must be projected upward so that it:
AReaches the height of an orbiting satellite
BOvercomes the Earth's gravity and never returns
CReaches the top of the atmosphere and stops
DMoves in a circular orbit around the Earth
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. Overcomes the Earth's gravity and never returns
1. As a ball rises, gravity slows it and it normally falls back.
2. Above a particular initial velocity the object overcomes the downward pull of the Earth.
3. It then escapes the Earth forever and does not fall back; this is the escape velocity.
4. It does not merely reach a satellite's height or enter orbit, so those options are wrong.
_Source: Balbharati (Maharashtra Board) Class 10 Science & Technology, Ch 1 "Gravitation", p.22_
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