Question:

A ball is dropped from a spacecraft revolving around the earth at a height of 120 km. What will happen to the ball?

Updated On: May 3, 2024
  • it will fall down to the earth gradually
  • it will go very far in the space
  • it will continue to move with the same speed along the original orbit of spacecraft
  • it will move with the same speed, tangentially to the spacecraft
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Since no external torque is applied therefore, according to law of conservation of angular momentum, the ball will continue to move with the same angular velocity along the original orbit of the spacecraft.
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Concepts Used:

Gravitation

In mechanics, the universal force of attraction acting between all matter is known as Gravity, also called gravitation, . It is the weakest known force in nature.

Newton’s Law of Gravitation

According to Newton’s law of gravitation, “Every particle in the universe attracts every other particle with a force whose magnitude is,

  • F ∝ (M1M2) . . . . (1)
  • (F ∝ 1/r2) . . . . (2)

On combining equations (1) and (2) we get,

F ∝ M1M2/r2

F = G × [M1M2]/r2 . . . . (7)

Or, f(r) = GM1M2/r2

The dimension formula of G is [M-1L3T-2].