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Gravitational fields

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Question 3

A spacecraft is in a stable circular orbit around a uniform spherical planet of radius RRR. The magnitude of the gravitational acceleration at the planet's surface is ggg. The spacecraft orbits at an altitude of 3R 3R\,3R above the planet's surface.

What is the orbital speed of the spacecraft?

A

14gR\frac{1}{4}\sqrt{gR}41​gR​

B

13gR\frac{1}{\sqrt{3}}\sqrt{gR}3​1​gR​

C

12gR\frac{1}{2}\sqrt{gR}21​gR​

D

gR\sqrt{gR}gR​

Markscheme

Gravitational fields Questions

  1. A Level
  2. /Physics
  3. /Gravitational fields

31 exam-style questions on OCR A A Level Physics Gravitational fields, covering Point and spherical masses, Newton's law of gravitation, Planetary motion, and Gravitational potential and energy. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.

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