An astronaut of mass m is working on a satellite orbiting the earth at a distance h from the earth's…

An astronaut of mass m is working on a satellite orbiting the earth at a distance h from the earth's surface. The radius of the earth is R, while its mass is M. The gravitational pull FG on the astronaut is
  1. Zero since astronaut feels weightless
  2. GMmR+h2<FG<GMmR2
  3. FG=GMmR+h2
  4. 0<FG<GMmR2

Solution

As distance of the astronaut from the centre of the Earth is =R+h

Therefore, gravitational force =Gm1m2R+h2=GMmR+h2

Asked in: JEE Main 2016 (10 Apr Online)

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