Exam-style question
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What is the relationship between the orbital radius and the period of a geostationary satellite?.
- A.The period increases as the radius decreases.
- B.The period is independent of the radius.
- C.The period decreases as the radius increases.
- D.The period is directly proportional to the square of the radius.
Model answer
What a good answer should say
- The period is directly proportional to the square of the radius.
Explanation
Why this works
According to Kepler's third law, the square of the orbital period of a satellite is directly proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of its orbit, which means that as the radius increases, the period increases as well.
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