Consider formula A to be v = and formula B to be v2 = G. Write the letter of the appropriate formula to use in each scenario. De
termine the tangential speed of the moon given the mass of Earth and the distance from Earth to the moon. Determine the tangential speed of a satellite that takes 90 minutes to complete an orbit 150 km above Earth’s surface.
Situation one: The moon will be experiencing gravitational force in the form of centripetal force, so we equate the two formulas.
Gravitational force = GMm /r² Centripetal force = mv²/r
Equating, GMm/r² = mv²/r v² = GM/r
The first scenario will use the formula v² = GM/r
Situation 2: The second situation will use the simple distance over time formula for velocity, where the distance will be the circumference and the time will be in seconds.
