Explain — 2 marks
A satellite orbits Earth in a circular path. Engineers need to understand the geometry of the orbit to calculate safe distances and predict the satellite's position at any time.
- (a) The satellite completes one full orbit. Explain why the angle subtended at the centre of Earth during one complete orbit is 360°. [1 mark]
- (b) The satellite travels along an arc that subtends an angle of 90° at Earth's centre. Explain what fraction of the total orbital circumference the satellite has travelled. [1 mark]
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- (a) One complete revolution/orbit returns the satellite to its starting position, which corresponds to a complete rotation of 360° (or 2π radians)
- (b) The angle 90° is one quarter of 360°, so the satellite has travelled one quarter (or 1/4 or 0.25) of the total circumference