Question

How can a revolving satellite be an example of a free falling object?

Answer 1

A body is said to be in a ‘Free Fall’ when the following two characteristics are fulfilled:

1. The body is accelerating only due to earth’s gravitational force of attraction.

2. There is no friction due to air.

Incase of a revolving satellite the only force acting on it is the gravitational force which the existing centripetal force making the body revolve in an orbit and the absence of atmosphere there in that very part of the universe does the rest to make it a free fall situation for the satellite.