Fundamentals of Physics Extended (10th Edition)

Published by Wiley
ISBN 10: 1-11823-072-8
ISBN 13: 978-1-11823-072-5

Chapter 13 - Gravitation - Problems - Page 383: 62c

Answer

Satellite B has a greater total energy than satellite A.

Work Step by Step

Let $R_E$ be the Earth's radius The total energy of an orbiting satellite at a height $h$ above the Earth's surface is $E = -\frac{GMm}{2(R_E+h)}$ We can see that as the value of $h$ increases, the total energy becomes less negative. (That is, the magnitude decreases as the value moves closer to zero.) Since satellite B is at a higher altitude than satellite A, satellite B has a greater total energy than satellite A.
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