The discussion revolves around calculating the gravitational acceleration of a satellite in a circular orbit 655 km above Earth's surface, touching on concepts of gravitational potential energy and forces acting on the satellite.
Some participants have offered guidance on focusing on forces rather than potential energy, suggesting that the mass of the satellite may not be needed for calculating acceleration. Multiple interpretations of the problem are being explored, with no explicit consensus reached.
Participants note that the equation for gravitational potential energy may not apply in this context due to the variable gravitational field at the height of the satellite's orbit.
No. Instead of potential energy, think in terms of forces and acceleration. What is the gravitational force on the satellite. (Tip: Don't be so quick to plug in numbers.)Nicolaus said:Would I just set the aforementioned eqations equal to each other and re-arrange to solve for g?
You won't need the mass--just call it 'm'. When you calculate the acceleration, it will drop out.Nicolaus said:Well, it's also experiencing a centripetal force. If we set Fc=Fg, we can get the velocity of the orbit, but, other than that, I'm not sure how to do this without the mass of the sat.