Why Satellites Stay in Orbit

 Why Satellites Stay in Orbit

Guiding Question: How does the weight of an object affect the power of the orbit?Hypothesis: I think that the lighter the object, the more spins the planet/manmade object will take, and the faster it’s going to travel around.

Variables: Our variable is the string, since it is always the same length. Also, the speed at which we spin the string. Our manipulative variable is the weight tied to the end of the string.

Materials:

• String
• Washers

Procedure:

1. Thread your needle with the string and push the needle all the way through the center of the washer. Pull the end of the string through the washer. Tie the end of the string to the string where it enters the other side of the washer. Tie a string knot.
2. Measure the distance of the string (30 cm).
3. Hold the end of the string above your head.
4. Hold your washer and string the same way you did in the previous step.  Swing the washer horizontally in a circular motion over your head just hard enough for it to stay moving. Note how fast the washer is traveling after you have stopped moving you hand.
5. Repeat the steps by adding 1 washer, 2 washers, 3 washers, all the way till you have 4 washers in total.  Make sure the string length is always 30 cm.

Data Table:

Trials:	1 washer	2 washers	3 washers	4 washers
Trial 1	12	8	6	4
Trial 2	8	7	5	4
Trial 3	11	6	5	3
Average	10.333	7	5.333	3.666

Data Analysis:

As you can see on our data table the more washers that were added to the 30 cm string the less the washer spun. When analyzing our data I found that the average amount of spins for 1 washer is 10.3. The average amount of spins with 4 washers is 3.6. As you can see there is a very big difference between both 1 washer and 4 washers.

 There is also quite a big difference between two washers and three washers. You could also feel a difference when adding a washer. It took a lot more strength to spin 3 washers then two washers; this is because the weight increased making the gravity strengthen.

We also have to take into thought Newton’s first law of gravity, which is inertia. The reason the string with one washer was so easy swing around is because it was light. I was the force acted upon the washer; this was the reason why it swings. Also the gravity acted upon it making the washer come back down.


Conclusion:
            The more washers, the stronger the pull to get away is, and the more force is needed from your hand to prevent to make the washers fly through the room. With one washer we had the most amount of spins. With four washers we had the least amount of spins. The universal law of gravity is that each object in space attracts each with gravity. If a 2 kilo ball and a 2 kilo ball attract each other, the force of gravity will increase. If the distance increases and the mass stays the same then the force will decrease.  

In conclusion, our group noticed that when the number of washers rose, there was a defiant increase of pull from the washer. This means that the lighter the satellite the more spins around the earth it will take. Satellites stay in orbit because of gravity and the curved orbit.  However, not only satellites are in orbit there days there is also space trash.

Around our world there are bits and pieces of space junk that are orbiting our earth. They were all captured by earth orbit.  From an article that I read the other day I found that there are many types of satellites. There is one called the Geostationary which actually orbits with the earth. There is also the Polar Orbiter, which orbits around the earth’s poles. I also read that satellites stay in orbit because the earth’s orbit is curved.

Further Inquiry:

            We decided to look at the amount of force the washers would have if the string was at different lengths. In our mini lab our variable that we kept the same was the washer and the amount of washers on the string (4). Our manipulative variable was the different lengths of string.

We first started off with a string that was one meter long. With 4 washers and a meter long string it balanced out, making it easier to swing. With four washers we found that it swings around 14 times, it was a lot easier to keep in the air. Not as much force was need because the string balanced out the weight.

The universal law of gravity is that each object in space attracts each with gravity. If a 2 kilo ball and a 2 kilo ball attract each other, the force of gravity will increase. If the distance increase and the mass stays the same then the force will decrease.