Question

A body is suspended from a spring balance kept in a satellite.The reading of the balance is W₁ when the satellite goes in an orbit of radius R and is W₂ when it goes in an orbit of radius 2R.Why is W₁=W₂

Answer 1

• In either cases of different radii of R and 2R, the satellite behaves like a freely falling body.
• So, the acceleration in either cases is equal to acceleration due to gravity, which is equal to 'g'
• The reading of the spring balance is given by the expression W = m g
• Hence, the acceleration due to gravity remains same for both and the reading of the spring balance remains same in both cases.