Problem 9-76 Geosynchronous orbit - Part 2 - B

Most telecommunications satellites are in geosynchronous orbits above the earth, that is, they have periods of $24 \;h.$ As a result, since the earth turns on its axis once in $24\; h$ and each satellite goes around the earth once in $24\; h,$ any individual satellite stays positioned above a particular point on the earth. (a) How far above the earth's surface must a geosynchronous satellite be? The earth's mass and average radius are $5.98 \times 10^{24}\; kg$ and $6368 \;km.$ (b) What is the satellite's speed?

Accumulated Solution

Correct.

But this force supplies the centripetal force for the uniform circular motion. The expression for that is:

(A)   $F = mv^2/r$

(B)   $F = mv^2r$

(C)   $F = mv/r$