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AP Physics C: Mechanics
6.6 Motion of Orbiting Satellites
6.4 Conservation of Angular Momentum
IntermediateMCQMathematicalConceptual23.3k
An elliptical orbit drawn with a solid line, elongated horizontally. A filled circle labeled Sun sits at the left focal point. The leftmost point on the ellipse is labeled perihelion, located at a horizontal dashed line of length \(r_p\) from the focal point, with a small solid circle representing the asteroid. A straight velocity vector arrow labeled \(\vec{v}_p\) points vertically upward from the asteroid, perpendicular to the horizontal dashed line. The rightmost point of the ellipse is labeled aphelion, located at a horizontal dashed line of length \(r_a\) from the focal point. Along the top curved half of the ellipse, a directional arrow points counterclockwise from perihelion to aphelion to indicate the outbound path. Along the bottom curved half of the ellipse, a directional arrow points counterclockwise from aphelion to perihelion to indicate the inbound path. No other labels, lines, text, or axes appear.
An asteroid in an elliptical orbit around the Sun with perihelion and aphelion indicated.
An asteroid of mass \(m\) orbits the Sun of mass \(M\) in an elliptical path. At perihelion, the asteroid is at a distance \(r_p\) from the Sun with speed \(v_p\), where its velocity vector is perpendicular to its position vector relative to the Sun. The asteroid travels along an outbound arc to aphelion at a distance \(r_a\) from the Sun, and then returns to perihelion along an inbound arc. Which of the following correctly pairs the speed of the asteroid at aphelion, \(v_a\), with the relationship between the work done by the gravitational force on the asteroid along the outbound arc, \(W_{\text{out}}\), and along the inbound arc, \(W_{\text{in}}\)?

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