JEE Main · PhysicsHard
A satellite is orbiting the earth in a circular orbit of radius . If the earth suddenly shrinks to half its radius without changing its mass, what will happen to the orbit of the satellite?
- A.The orbit remains unchanged
- B.The satellite falls to the earth
- C.The orbit becomes elliptical
- D.The satellite escapes the earth
Show correct answer & step-by-step solution
Correct answer: A — The orbit remains unchanged
Solution
The orbital velocity is . Since and are constant, the velocity required for a circular orbit remains unchanged. The physical size of the earth does not affect the gravitational field at distance as long as .
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