What is the tangential speed of a satellite in this orbit?

AI Thread Summary
To calculate the tangential speed of a satellite in a circular orbit at a height of 2.00x10^6 m above Earth's surface, one must recognize that the height is not the same as the radius of the orbit. The formula vt=rw is relevant, but additional information about angular speed (ω) is needed to proceed. The discussion emphasizes the importance of understanding circular motion and gravitational forces to solve the problem effectively. Participants suggest reviewing textbooks and searching for similar problems online for guidance. Ultimately, the student is encouraged to engage with the material and apply the concepts learned.
soyger
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Homework Statement


Suppose that a satellite is in a circular orbit at a height of 2.00x10^6 m above Earth's surface. What is the tangential speed of a satellite in this orbit?


Homework Equations


vt=rw


The Attempt at a Solution


I have been stuck for almsot 30 minutes, I think that the height is the radius but then I have no method of finding the angular speed.
 
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What formulas do you know that relate to circular motion? How about gravity?
 
i think I am supposed to use the one i put here, but I am not sure
 
You can use it, but clearly it alone is not sufficient to answer the question. You yourself have said that you don't know what ω is.

Also, you should recognize the difference between radius and height above surface.
 
gneill said:
You can use it, but clearly it alone is not sufficient to answer the question. You yourself have said that you don't know what ω is.

Also, you should recognize the difference between radius and height above surface.

o sorry, w is the angular speed.
 
soyger said:
o sorry, w is the angular speed.

Yes, but you don't have a value for it. So clearly you need more information to proceed.

You'll have to pull out what you know about circular motion and gravitation.
 
I don't really know much, i missed two days due to and am kinda behind? Do you have any thought on solving the question?
 
I suggest that you check your textbook for circular motion, centripetal acceleration, force due to gravity, gravitational acceleration.

You could also search the forum for similar topic threads to see how others have approached this sort of problem. Even Google will probably turn up relevant examples if you're clever about the keywords.

I'm sorry that I can't do more than offer hints and suggested topics to investigate -- it's forum policy to have the student do the work solving the problems.
 
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