A ball is dropped from a spacecraft revolving around the earth at a height of 120 km. What will happen to the ball? (a) it will fall down to the earth gradually (b) it will go very far in the space (c) it will continue to move with the same speed along the original orbit of spacecraft (d) it will move with the same speed, tangentially to the spacecraft

Answer: (c). When released, the ball already has the spacecraft's orbital velocity at that height. Orbital speed v = √(GM/r) does not depend on mass, so gravity keeps the ball in the same orbit. So the answer is (c) it continues along the original orbit with the same speed.

A ball is dropped from a spacecraft revolving around the earth at a… | NEET 1996 (AIPMT)

Q75NEET 1996 · AIPMTEasy

Satellites - Orbital Velocity & Period

A ball is dropped from a spacecraft revolving around the earth at a height of 120 km. What will happen to the ball?

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Answer: (c)

When released, the ball already has the spacecraft's orbital velocity at that height.
Orbital speed $v = \sqrt{\frac{GM}{r}}$ does not depend on mass, so gravity keeps the ball in the same orbit.
So the answer is (c) it continues along the original orbit with the same speed.

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Satellites - Orbital Velocity & Period question from NEET 1996 (AIPMT)

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