Question

The time period of a satellite in a circular orbit around a planet is independent of______.

• A. The mass of the planet
• B. The radius of the planet
• C. The mass of the satellite
• D. All the three parameters (a), (b) and (c)

Answer 1

The correct option is C

The mass of the satellite

Period of a satellite depends on acceleration due to gravity, radius and mass of the planet and not on the mass of the satellite and it can be seen from the relation,
$T^2=\frac{4{\pi }^2{r}^3}{GM}$
where, $T$ is the period of revolution, $r$ is the radius of revolution of the satellite, $G$ is the universal gravitational constant and $M$ is the mass of the planet.