Answer to Question #145798 in Classical Mechanics for Sridhar

Question

In an earth satellite moving in a circular orbit a piece of metal (weighing 0.016kg on the earth) is weighed by a spring balance while the metal is suspended in water.If the density of metal is 8 times of water density then the recorded weight will be?
Answer : zero

Answer 1

$P = m (g – a)$

$\text{Rotating in a circle, the satellite moves with centripetal acceleration, }$

$\text{and the only force that can give it this acceleration is gravity.}$

$a= g \text{ Hence the body weight is zero}$

$\text{Submerging the body in liquid will not change the situation.}$

$\text{Archimedean force depends on the weight of the displaced liquid }$

$\text{and is also equal to zero.}$

Answer: the recorded weight will be zero