A Level · A2 · multiple choice
A Level extension · Question 1
A Level extension · Original GioPhysics question with a detailed, mark-by-mark answer guide.
- Demand
- routine
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- Topics
- 1
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multiple choice1 mark
A satellite is in a circular orbit at a height above the Earth's surface equal to the radius R of the Earth. The gravitational field strength at the Earth's surface is g. What is the acceleration of the satellite?
- A
g
- B
g/2
- C
g/4
- D
g/8
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Answer overviewCorrect answer: C — g/4
01
1 markAnswer and reasoning
How to approach it
Predict from the governing principle before looking for a matching option. Then reject alternatives by checking direction, units, limiting behaviour or the physical meaning of each statement.
- 1
The correct choice is C: g/4
- 2
B halves rather than squaring — the error of a candidate who remembers that the distance has doubled but not that the field follows an inverse square law. The distance from the centre, not from the surface, is what enters the law, and it has gone from R to 2R.
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