Concepts Of Physics MCQ Edition [Volume 1]PhysicsGravitation
Determine the minimum colatitude that can directly receive a signal from a geostationary satellite.
Options
- A⁻¹(0.15)
- B⁻¹(0.85)
- C⁻¹(0.15)
- D⁻¹(0.15)
Correct answer
A. ⁻¹(0.15)
Step-by-step solution
The radius of the Earth is R = 6400 km . The height of a geostationary satellite above the Earth's surface is h 36000 km . The distance of the satellite from the center of the Earth is r = R + h = 6400 + 36000 = 42400 km . Let the maximum latitude that can directly receive the signal be . At this latitude, the line of sight from the satellite is tangent to the Earth's surface, forming a right-angled triangle with the Earth's center. From the geometry of this triangle, we have: = R r Colatitude is defined as the ang