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For a satellite moving in an orbit around the earth, the ratio of kinetic energy to potential energy is

Asked in NEET 2005 · Energy of an orbiting satellite

Answer: (1) 1/2

Step-by-step solution

For a circular orbit of radius r, the centripetal condition gives (mv²)/r=(GMm)/(r²).

So the kinetic energy is K=1/2mv²=(GMm)/(2r).

The potential energy is U=-(GMm)/r.

Comparing magnitudes, |U|=2K.

K/(|U|)=1/2.

Why the other options are wrong

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