Satellites & “Weightlessness”
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Transcript of Satellites & “Weightlessness”
Satellites & “Weightlessness”
“Weightlessness” • What keeps a satellite in orbit?The centripetal acceleration is CAUSED by the Gravitational Force!F = (mv2)/r = G(mME)/r2
Its speed or centripetalacceleration keeps it in orbit!!
• Newton’s 1st Law: If no there were (gravitational) force, the satellite would move in a straight line!
“Weightlessness” • Objects in a satellite, including people,
experience “EFFECTIVE weightlessness”. What causes this?
• NOTE: THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE GRAVITATIONAL FORCE ON THEM IS ZERO!
• To understand this, first, look at a simpler problem: A person in an elevator. (4 cases)
• Case 1: Person in elevator. Mass m attached to scale.No acceleration. (no motion)
(a = 0) ∑F = ma = 0• W = weight = upward force
on mass m. By Newton’s 3rd
Law, equal & opposite toreading on scale.
• ∑F = 0 = W - mg Scale reading is
W = mg
• Case 2: Elevator moves up with acceleration a.
∑F = ma or W - mg = ma• W = upward force on m. Newton’s 3rd Law equal & opposite to the scale reading. Scale reading
(apparent weight)
W = mg + ma > mg !For a = (½)g, W = (3/2)mgPerson is “heavier” also!Person experiences 1.5 g’s!
• Case 3: Elevator moves down with acceleration a.
∑F = ma or W - mg = -ma• W = upward force on m. Newton’s 3rd Law equal & opposite to scale reading. Scale reading
(apparent weight)
W = mg - ma < mg !For a = (½)g, W = (½)mgPerson is “lighter” also!Person experiences 0.5 g’s!
(½)mg
(down) +
• Case 4: Elevator cable breaks!Free falls down with acceleration a = g! ∑F = ma or W - mg = -ma, W = upward force on m. Newton’s 3rd Law equal & opposite to scale reading. Scale reading (apparent weight)
W = mg -ma = mg - mg W = 0! Elevator & person areapparently “weightless”. Clearly,though, THE FORCE OF GRAVITY STILL ACTS!
• (Apparent) “weightlessness” in satellite orbit?• With gravity, satellite
(mass ms) free “falls”
continually! Just so gravitational force = centripetal force.
F = G(msME)/r2 = msv2/r• Consider scale in satellite:
∑F = ma = -mv2/r(towards Earth center!)W - mg = -mv2/r
Or, W = mg -mv2/r << mg!
• LESSON!!!: TV reporters are just plain WRONG (!!) when they say things like:“The space shuttle has escaped the Earth’s gravity”. Or “has reached a point outside the Earth’s gravitational pull”.
• Why? Because the gravitational force is
F = G(msME)/r2
This exists (& is NOT zero) even for HUGE distances r away from Earth!
F 0 only for r