A geostationary satellite orbits Earth at a height where its period equals
A{'text': '24 hours', 'label': 'A'}
B{'text': '12 hours', 'label': 'B'}
C{'text': '30 days', 'label': 'C'}
D{'text': '1 year', 'label': 'D'}
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. {'text': '24 hours', 'label': 'A'}
1. A geostationary satellite appears fixed above a point on Earth's equator.
2. Its orbital period must equal Earth's rotation period ≈ 24 hours.
3. Orbital altitude works out to about 35,786 km above the surface.
4. It orbits in the equatorial plane in the same direction as Earth's rotation.
_Source: NCERT Class 11 Physics, Ch 7 "Gravitation", §7.6_
Related questions
Cavendish's torsion balance experiment (1798) measuredThe gravitational field near Earth's surface is approximately uniform becauseNewton showed that the same law that makes an apple fall to the ground alsoFor a body in a circular orbit around Earth of radius r, the ratio of kinetic energy to toThe weight of an object at a certain height above Earth's surface equals its weight at depThe variation of g with depth d below Earth's surface (assuming uniform density) isThe gravitational potential energy of two point masses m₁ and m₂ separated by distance r iAn orbiting satellite has an orbital speed v = √(G M / r). If the orbital radius r is quad