A 5 kg object near Earth's surface is released from rest such that it falls a distance of 10 m. After the object falls 10 m, it

Answer:

Explanation:

To approach this problem, we need to understand two key concepts.

First, the gravitational force on an object in orbit equals its mass multiplied by centripetal acceleration.

Secondly, Newton's law of universal gravitation defines the force between two masses: Fg = mMG/r², where Fg denotes gravitational force, m and M signify the masses, G represents the gravitational constant, and r indicates the distance separating the two masses.

Thus:

Fg = m v²/r

mMG/r² = m v²/r

v² = MG/r

Potential energy for each planet is expressed as:

PE = mgr = m (MG/r²) r = mMG/r

Kinetic energy for each planet is computed as:

KE = 1/2 mv² = 1/2 m (MG/r) = 1/2 mMG/r

Total mechanical energy is calculated as:

ME = PE + KE = 3/2 mMG/r

Since both planets share the same mass, the only variable is their orbital radius. Consequently, Planet A, with a smaller radius, possesses greater potential, kinetic, and mechanical energy.