A satellite revolves around the earth in an elliptical...

Name: Problem 769, Chapter 6: JEE Physics
Uploaded: 2020-04-10T14:51:55-08:00
Duration: 3 min 50 s
Channel: Zulfiqar Ali
Description: A satellite revolves around the earth in an elliptical orbit. Its speed (A) is the same at all points in the orbit (B) is greatest when it is closest to the earth (C) is greatest when it is farthest to the earth (D) goes on increasing or decreasing continuously depending upon the mass of the satellite

A satellite revolves around the earth in an elliptical orbit. Its speed (A) is the same at all points in the orbit (B) is greatest when it is closest to the earth (C) is greatest when it is farthest to the earth (D) goes on increasing or decreasing continuously depending upon the mass of the satellite

A satellite revolves around the earth in an elliptical orbit. Its speed
(A) is the same at all points in the orbit
(B) is greatest when it is closest to the earth
(C) is greatest when it is farthest to the earth
(D) goes on increasing or decreasing continuously depending upon the mass of the satellite

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Key Concepts

Elliptical Orbit

An elliptical orbit is an oval-shaped path that a satellite or any celestial body follows due to the gravitational attraction of a central body. This type of orbit is characterized by two focal points, with the central body occupying one of these foci, leading to varying distances from the satellite to the central body during its revolution.

Kepler's Second Law

Kepler's Second Law, also known as the Law of Areas, states that a line joining a satellite and the central body sweeps out equal areas in equal time intervals. This means that the satellite travels faster when it is closer to the central body and slower when it is farther away, which directly explains the variation in speed along an elliptical orbit.

Conservation of Angular Momentum

The principle of conservation of angular momentum dictates that in an isolated system, like a satellite orbiting a planet, the angular momentum remains constant if no external torque acts on it. As the distance between the satellite and the planet changes during its elliptical orbit, the satellite’s speed adjusts accordingly: it speeds up when it is closer to the planet and slows down when it is farther away in order to preserve the angular momentum.

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