Satellites, Centripetal Force and Tangential Motion

A GCSE-level quiz relating to the Satellites section in the OCR Gateway Physics P5 module. It asks about the different types of orbit an artificial satellite can have around Earth, the orbital path of each type of satellite and how each satellite's distance from Earth affects its orbit.

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1. Gravity provides something, without which objects such as planets would not orbit their stars and instead move away at a tangent. What is it that gravity provides that prevents this from happening?

  • Momentum
  • Friction
  • Centripetal force
  • Tangential motion
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Other questions in this quiz

2. Geostationary satellites orbit the Earth above the equator. How far from the surface of the Earth do they orbit?

  • 360km
  • 36,000km
  • 3600km
  • 360,000km

3. Similarly to satellites orbiting Earth, the orbital period of a planet is longer the further away it is from the Sun. Why is this?

  • Smaller planets tend to be furthest away from the Sun
  • This statement is incorrect as the distance between two objects does not affect the gravitational force of attraction present between them
  • A weaker gravitational force of attraction is present between the planet and the Sun.
  • A greater gravitational force of attraction is present between the planet and the Sun.

4. When a satellite is orbiting the Earth, how does its distance from the Earth affect the speed of its orbit?

  • The distance from the Earth's surface to a satellite doesn't affect the speed of the satellite's orbit.
  • The closer to the Earth's surface a satellite is, the faster it travels. The further away from the Earth's surface a satellite is, the slower it travels.
  • The closer to the Earth's surface a satellite is, the slower it travels. The further away from the Earth's surface a satellite is, the faster it travels.
  • The closer to the Earth's surface a satellite is, the faster it travels. The further away from the Earth's surface a satellite is, the faster it travels.

5. How does the tangential motion of a satellite orbiting Earth affect its trajectory?

  • If the tangential motion of the satellite is too slow, it will fall to the Earth's surface. If the tangential motion of the satellite is too fast, it will travel away from Earth and into space.
  • The tangential motion of a satellite affects its speed, not its trajectory.
  • If the tangential motion of the satellite is too slow, it will travel away from the Earth and into space. If the tangential motion of the satellite is too fast, it will fall to the Earth's surface.
  • It doesn't.
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