General Science • PhysicsMedium
Consider a satellite orbiting the Earth in a stable circular orbit at a given altitude. If the gravitational pull of the Earth suddenly vanishes due to a hypothetical cosmic event, what immediate trajectory will the satellite follow?
A. It will immediately fall straight down toward the center of the Earth along a radial line.
B. It will continue to move in the same circular orbit with a decaying radius.
C. It will fly off tangentially along a straight line with the uniform linear speed it possessed at that instant.✓ Correct Answer
D. It will spiral outward in an expanding elliptical orbit until it escapes Earth gravity entirely.
💡 Solution & Explanation
According to Newton first law of inertia, an orbiting body maintains its state of uniform motion along a straight line unless acted upon by an external net force. When the centripetal gravitational force drops to zero, inertia dominates, causing the satellite to move off tangentially at its orbital velocity. Orbital motion relies on the balance between gravitational pull and the required centripetal acceleration.
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