A satellite is in a circular orbit around the Earth.
Explain why the velocity of the satellite changes as it orbits the Earth, even though it travels at a constant speed.
The table below shows how the length of a satellite's circular orbit depends on its height above the Earth's surface:
| Height above Earth's surface (km\text{km}km) | Length of orbit (km\text{km}km) |
|---|---|
| 100 | 40840 |
| 200 | 41470 |
| 300 | 42100 |
| 400 | 42730 |
| 500 | 43350 |
A satellite orbits at a height of 200 km200\text{ km}200 km above the Earth's surface at a constant speed of 7.78 km/s7.78\text{ km/s}7.78 km/s.
Calculate how many complete orbits of the Earth the satellite will make in 24 hours24\text{ hours}24 hours.
19 exam-style questions on AQA GCSE Physics 8.1 Solar system; stability of orbital motions; satellites, covering 8.1.1 Our solar system, 8.1.2 The life cycle of a star, and 8.1.3 Orbital motion, natural and artificial satellites. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.