Four satellites are in orbit around the Earth. The heights of their four orbits are identical. The masses of the four satellites are given in the table. For
which satellite is the gravitational pull of Earth the strongest?
Satellite
Mass (kg)
A
500
B
400
700
600
O A. Satellite A
O B. Satellite B
O C. Satellite
O D. Satellite D

Option C. Satellite C.

Explanation:

The gravitational pull of the earth talls about the weight of an object.

To know which of them has the greatest gravitational pull, let us determine the weight of each satellite.

For satellite A:

Mass = 500Kg

Acceleration due to gravity (g) = 9.8m/s²

Weight (W) =.?

Weight (W) = mass (m) x Acceleration due to gravity (g)

W = m x g

W = 500 x 9.8

W = 4900N

For satellite B:

Mass = 400Kg

Acceleration due to gravity (g) = 9.8m/s²

Weight (W) =.?

W = m x g

W = 400 x 9.8

W = 3920N

For satellite C:

Mass = 700Kg

Acceleration due to gravity (g) = 9.8m/s²

Weight (W) =.?

W = m x g

W = 700 x 9.8

W = 6860N

For satellite D:

Mass = 600Kg

Acceleration due to gravity (g) = 9.8m/s²

Weight (W) =.?

W = m x g

W = 600 x 9.8

W = 5880N

Satellite >> Mass >>> Gravitational pull

A >>>>>>>> 500Kg >> 4900N

B >>>>>>>> 400Kg >> 3920N

C >>>>>>>> 700Kg >> 6860N

D >>>>>>>> 600Kg >> 5880N

From the above calculations we can see that satellite C has the greatest gravitational pull.