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NSWPhysicsModule 5: Advanced Mechanics

Quick questions on Conservation of energy in orbital motion explained: HSC Physics Module 5

4short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.

What is kinetic energy in a circular orbit?
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For a satellite of mass mm in a circular orbit at radius rr around a central body of mass MM, gravity provides the centripetal force:
What are energy changes between orbits?
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Moving from a circular orbit at r1r_1 to one at r2r_2 requires a change in total energy:
What are non-circular orbits?
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For an elliptical orbit with semi-major axis aa:
What is escape condition?
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If E≥0E \geq 0, the satellite is unbound and will escape to infinity. The boundary E=0E = 0 corresponds to escape velocity:

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