Question

If the kinetic energy of the satellite revolving in an orbit close to the earth’s surface happens to be doubled, what happens to the satellite?

(a) It revolves faster

(b) It revolves slower

(c) It remains unaltered

(d) It escapes

The question was asked during a job interview.

This key question is from Weight of a Body topic in portion Mechanical Properties of Solids of Engineering Physics I

Answer 1

Right answer is (d) It escapes

To explain: When the kinetic energy of the satellite is doubled, its orbital velocity increases √2 times and becomes equal to the escape velocity. So the satellite will escape.