Why does the speed of a satellite not change?

The speed of the satellite would remain constant only if its orbit is perfect circular. This is because any object undergoes circular motion due to a force known as centripetal force. In this case the gravitational force of Earth provides the necessary centripetal force.

Does gravity cause satellites to speed up or slow down?

As mentioned above, the force of gravity does work upon a satellite to slow it down as it moves away from the earth and to speed it up as it moves towards the earth.

What effect does gravity have on satellites?

Even when satellites are thousands of miles away, Earth’s gravity still tugs on them. Gravity—combined with the satellite’s momentum from its launch into space—cause the satellite to go into orbit above Earth, instead of falling back down to the ground.

How does gravity make satellites revolve at a constant speed?

So, the satellite orbits the earth with a constant speed of 3.07km/s because the magnitude of its speed is constant. This acceleration is a result of earth’s gravitational force on the satellite. The acceleration is also known as centripetal acceleration.

Why doesn’t the force of gravity change the speed?

15. Why doesn’t the force of gravity change the speed of a satellite in circular orbit? In circular orbit the force of gravity is everywhere perpendicular to the satellite’s path (like the radius of a circle is perpendicular to the circumference). There’s simply no component of force along the path to change speed.

Why doesn’t the force of gravity change the speed of a satellite in circular orbit?

The gravitational force doesn’t change the speed of a satellite in circular orbit because the force is always perpendicular to the direction of motion of the satellite. The force of gravity does no work on a satellite in circular orbit since the force is always perpendicular to the planet’s direction of motion.

What affects the speed of a satellite?

The period, speed and acceleration of a satellite are only dependent upon the radius of orbit and the mass of the central body that the satellite is orbiting.

Does orbit affect speed?

The speed is lower in a larger orbit. When the object is farther from the earth, it is pulled less strongly towards the earth. It turns more slowly as a result.

Why does the force of gravity change the speed of a satellite when it is in an elliptical orbit but not when it is in a circular orbit?

The gravitational force changes the speed of a satellite in elliptical orbit because there is a component of the force in the direction of the satellite’s motion. The force of gravity does no work on a satellite in circular orbit since the force is always perpendicular to the planet’s direction of motion.

Why does the force of gravity change the speed of a satellite in an elliptical orbit quizlet?

Why does the force of gravity change the speed of a satellite in an elliptical orbit? Gravity slows the satellite as it moves away and speeds it up on its return.

Does the mass of a satellite affect its speed?

Assuming we are talking about the mass of the satellite (and not the mass of the body being orbited), mass does not affect the orbital speed.

How do satellites maintain their speed?

Satellites are able to orbit around the planet because they are locked into speeds that are fast enough to defeat the downward pull of gravity. A satellite maintains its orbit by balancing two factors: its velocity (the speed it takes to travel in a straight line) and the gravitational pull that Earth has on it.

Why don’t Satellites hit the Earth?

Satellites orbiting the earth are experiencing almost as strong gravitation as we do, but they don’t hit the earth because of their velocity outwards and the earth’s curvature. But if they’re accelerating at 9,81m/s2 (actually slightly less), wouldn’t the speed increase be ridiculously high after a while?

Why do satellites above our heads experience less time?

So satellites above our head experience a little more time because they’re high, but a little less because they’re moving. Something orbiting at ground level (assuming you could orbit at ground level) would be tearing along at about 8 km/s: same height as us, and great speed, means slower in time.

Why do GPS satellites need their clocks adjusted to match Earth’s time?

The original question was: I read that due to time dilation from both gravity and speed, GPS satellites need their clocks adjusted to match Earth’s time or else the whole idea would fall flat on its face.

How do satellites stay in orbit around the Earth?

When a satellite is travelling thousands of kilometres away, the forces of Earths gravitational pull are still present, albiet not as strong as the closer you are to the planet. They have the perfect balance between momentum and gravity to remain in orbit, a task in itself which is not easy.