Nat 5, NAB, January'15 Flashcards
What is meant by the period of a satellite?
The time taken for the satellite to complete one orbit.
How does the period of a satellite depend on the height of its orbit?
The higher the orbit of the satellite, the greater the period and vice versa.
At what speed do radio (or microwave) signals travel during satellite communication?
300,000,000 ms-1
Name 3 applications of satellites
Sending television or radio signals across a country or to another country
Navigation
Weather monitoring
Describe how parabolic (curved) reflectors are used in satellite communication to transmit signals?
Used to transmit a stong, parallel signal beam.
In a dish transmitter, the transmitting aerial is placed at the focus and the curved shape of the reflector produces a parallel signal beam.
Describe how parabolic (curved) reflectors are used in satellite communication to receive signals?
Used to increase the strength of a received signal from a satellite or other source.
The curved shape of the reflector collects the signal over a large area and brings it to a focus. The receiving aerial is placed at the focus so that it receives a strong signal.
How can a satellite be used to monior environmental changes on the Earth?
Used to detect worldwide changes:
The effects of global warming
depletion in the ozone layer
large scale changes in land cover.
How can projectile motion be treated as two independent motions?
Vertical and horizontal.
How do you carry out calculations of projectile motion using appropriate formulae and graphs?
Horizontal)
horizontal displacement= horizontal velocity x time (s=vt)
Vertical)
v= u+ at (u=0 , a=g= 9.8ms-2 on Earth)
Explain how a satellite orbits in terms of projectile motion.
A satellite is continually accelerating vertically towards the ground. However, the satellite is moving so fast horizontally that the Earth curves away from it as quickly as it falls. This means that the satellite never reaches the Earth but continues to move in orbit.
How many metres are in a light year?
9,460,800,000,000,000 metres
How do you calculate the number of metres in 1 light year?
d=?
v= 300,000,000 ms-1
t= 1 x 365 x 24 x 60 x 60
then use d=vt
What is the name of the theory of the origin of the universe?
The big bang theory.
What happened when the universe began?
The entire Universe was inside a hot, dense bubble. There wasn’t actually an explosion, the bubble began to expand.
What evidence is there to support the hot big bang model of the universe?
Galaxies appear to be moving away from us.
The abundance of the elements.
How old do we think the universe is and what evidence is there to suggest the age of the universe?
14 blillion years. It was estimated by looking for the oldest stars and measuring the expansion of the universe.
What is the electromagnetic spectrum?
A group of radiations which have given astronomers a vast amount of information on the Universe.
What do all the waves in the electromagnetic spectrum have in common?
All radiations travel at the speed of light (=300,000,000ms-1)
List the waves of the electromagnetic spectrum in order of frequency?
(increasing) Radio and TV waves Micro waves Infra Red Visible light Ultra Violet X-Rays Gamma Rays
List the waves of the electromagnetic spectrum in order of wavelength?
(increasing) Gamma Rays X-Rays Ultra Violet Visible light Infra Red Micro waves Radio and TV waves
Name an example of a decector for each of the waves in the electromagnetic spectrum.
Radio and TV- Aerial Micro waves- Diode probe Infra Red- Blackened thermometer Visible Light- Photographic film Ultra Violet- Fluorescent paint X-Rays- Photographic film Gamma Rays- Geiger- Muller tuber
Why have astronomers developed telescopes to detect different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum?
So they can find out information about stars from the light the star emits.
What information hae astronomers obtained from using these telescopes?
They have identified elements present in distant stars.
What have we learned about planet Earth as a result of space exploration?
A greater understanding about the rotation of the Earth.
Allowed meteorologists predict and monitor the weather.
Allowing monitoring of the polar ice caps.
What have we learned about the Universe as a result of space exploration?
Greater understanding of the origin of the Universe.
That the universe is still expanding.
Estimate the age of the Universe.
How has our model of the Universe changed over time?
People believed;
the Earth was flat (it’s round)
The Earth was the centre of the Universe (it’s not)
The Sun was the centre of the Universe (it’s not)
The Milky Way was the centre of the Universe (it’s not)
Apply Netwon’s Second Law (F=ma) to describe the motion and the forces acting on a space rocket during launch
F= ? m= 20,000kg (acting downward, weight) a= 12 ms-2 (opposite of weight)
Apply Netwon’s Second Law (F=ma) to describe the motion and the forces acting on a space rocket during motion in space
Accelerating - forward thrusters on and the forces are unbalanced in the forward direction
Decelerating- backward thrusters on and the forces are unbalanced in the backward direction