The Moon orbits the Earth in 27 days - AQA - A-Level Physics - Question 10 - 2022 - Paper 2

Question 10

The Moon orbits the Earth in 27 days.
What is the angular speed of the Moon's orbit?
Worked Solution & Example Answer:The Moon orbits the Earth in 27 days - AQA - A-Level Physics - Question 10 - 2022 - Paper 2
Calculate the orbital period in seconds

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The orbital period of the Moon is given as 27 days. To convert this to seconds:
27extdays=27imes24imes60imes60extseconds=2,332,800extseconds
Determine the angular speed formula

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Angular speed (ω) can be calculated using the formula:
ω=T2π
where T is the orbital period in seconds.
Apply the formula

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Now, substituting the orbital period:
ω=2,332,8002π
Calculating this gives:
ω≈2.7×10−6 rad s−1
Select the correct answer

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The calculated angular speed of the Moon is approximately 2.7×10−6 rad s−1, which corresponds to option B.
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