What is the speed of a synchronous satellite in orbit around the Earth?

AI Thread Summary
The speed of a synchronous satellite in orbit around the Earth can be calculated using the formula v = √(G*M/radius), where G is the gravitational constant and M is the mass of the Earth. To determine the radius, the altitude of the satellite above the Earth's surface must be added to the Earth's radius, which is approximately 6.38 x 10^6 m. The discussion highlights the importance of using the distance from the Earth's center for accurate calculations. Additionally, the symbol "ω" (omega) represents angular frequency, which can be expressed as ω = 2π/T, where T is the orbital period. Understanding these concepts is crucial for calculating the speed of synchronous satellites.
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A rocket is used to place a synchronous satellite in orbit about the earth. What is the speed of the satellite in orbit?

I know that G= 6.67x10^-11 and the Mass of Earth is 5.98x10^24 kg.

So I'm to assume that I use the equation

v= Square root of([G*M]/radius)

But I don't know how high off the ground the satellite is. I know the radius of the Earth is 6.38X10^6 m, so I'd add that to how high above the Earth it is to get the radius.

Thanks for your time!
 
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The distance from the center of the Earth is the relevant one. However, you just need to recognize that \omega r = v which you could use to eliminate r from your equation.
 
Tide said:
The distance from the center of the Earth is the relevant one. However, you just need to recognize that \omega r = v which you could use to eliminate r from your equation.

What does the w symbol mean? Never seen that before :confused:
 
It's the Greek letter "omega" and it stands for the angular frequency. You may be more familiar with it in this form:

\omega = \frac {2\pi}{T}

where T is the orbital period.
 
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