Solving Power & Satellite Problems: Get Help Here

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around two physics problems: one concerning the power dissipated in lifting a mass vertically and the other related to the orbital period of a satellite as its radius changes. The subject area includes concepts of power, work, gravitational force, and orbital mechanics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the relationship between power, work, and time in the context of lifting a mass, questioning the need for time in the calculation. They also discuss Kepler's laws and the implications of changing orbital radius on period, with some participants suggesting a need to verify the formulas used.

Discussion Status

There are multiple interpretations of the first problem, with some participants providing simplified approaches while others reference more general principles. The second problem has prompted corrections and clarifications regarding the application of Kepler's Third Law, indicating a productive exchange of ideas without a clear consensus.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the importance of gravitational force in the first problem and the assumptions made regarding constant velocity and force. There is also mention of specific constants related to gravitational calculations in the second problem.

xc630
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Hello I need osme help with these two problems. I was told the ansers but do not undersatnd how the answers were gotten.

1. The power dissipated in lifting a 2.0 kg ball vertically at 3.0m/s equals what?
The answer is 59 W. ALl I know is that power equals Work/ delta T but there is no time for this one.

2. Increasing the orbital radius of a satellite by a factor of 2 requires its period to change by a factor of what?

For thi I know R^3/T2=R^4/T^2.

I would appreciate any help.
 
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In the first problem:

Work = Force * distance (and actually it is an itegral) but let's assume the force is constant.

Power = d/dt (Work) or d/dt (Energy).

Now, if a mass m, which is subjected to gravity of acceleration g, is moved up a distance, h, it experiences a change in potential energy of mgh. Now if it moves at constant velocity, v, then v = h/t, where t is the time it takes to move a distance h.

In the second problem, be sure the formula is correct:

See - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_period#Calculation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler's_laws_of_planetary_motion
 
xc630 said:
Hello I need osme help with these two problems. I was told the ansers but do not undersatnd how the answers were gotten.

1. The power dissipated in lifting a 2.0 kg ball vertically at 3.0m/s equals what?
The answer is 59 W. ALl I know is that power equals Work/ delta T but there is no time for this one.

2. Increasing the orbital radius of a satellite by a factor of 2 requires its period to change by a factor of what?

For thi I know R^3/T2=R^4/T^2.

I would appreciate any help.
Your second one is wrong.

Kepler's Third Law: The square of the period is proportional to the cube of the mean distance.

In other words:
[tex]t = C a^{\frac{3}{2}}[/tex]

If the radius is doubled, then you have:

[tex]t = C (2a)^{\frac{3}{2}}[/tex]

C is just some constant, since Kepler's law just explains the relationship between the period and the average radius. However, C is equal to:
[tex]C = \frac{2 \pi}{\sqrt{G M}}[/tex]
where G is the universal gravitational constant and M is the mass of the object the satellite is orbiting.

For Earth:
[tex]G M = 398600.4418 \frac{km^3}{sec^2}[/tex]

If your satellite's radius was 42,164 km, your orbital period would be:

[tex]t=\frac{2 \pi}{\sqrt{398600.4418 \frac{km^3}{sec^2}}} * (42164 km)^{\frac{3}{2}}[/tex]
which, coincidentally, happens to equal the number of seconds required for the Earth to rotate 360 degrees.
 
Hello,

The answer to the first question is much more simple than what Astronuc said. (He is not wrong at all though, but he uses big artillery for a really simple problem in my opinion :smile: ).

The power dissipated in lifting a 2.0 kg ball vertically at 3.0m/s equals what?
Here is my answer:

In this exercice, the only force that apply on the ball is the weight P=mg.
We know that: Power = Work / Time = (Force * Distance) / Time

With the infos provided, the simplest thing is to take 1 second for time:
Power = (2 * 9.81 * 3) / 1 = 58.86 # 59 W

You could have taken any amount of time, provided you calculate the associated distance.

What astronuc said is more of the general case, but is still totally true though.

I hope I could help,

Cyril

PS: Sorry if there are some english mistakes, I'm not a native english speaker ^^
 
Kyon said:
Hello,

The answer to the first question is much more simple than what Astronuc said. (He is not wrong at all though, but he uses big artillery for a really simple problem in my opinion :smile: ).

The power dissipated in lifting a 2.0 kg ball vertically at 3.0m/s equals what?
Here is my answer:

In this exercice, the only force that apply on the ball is the weight P=mg.
We know that: Power = Work / Time = (Force * Distance) / Time

With the infos provided, the simplest thing is to take 1 second for time:
Power = (2 * 9.81 * 3) / 1 = 58.86 # 59 W

You could have taken any amount of time, provided you calculate the associated distance.

What astronuc said is more of the general case, but is still totally true though.

I hope I could help,

Cyril

PS: Sorry if there are some english mistakes, I'm not a native english speaker ^^

Or, if the force and velocity are constant, P=Fv. But, of course, that was his end result anyway. :smile:

-Dan
 

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