Question

What is the direction of velocity for a satellite?

a. Toward the center of the circle

c. Tangent to the circle

b. East

d. Down

Answer 1

According to Newton's Second Law, the satellite is accelerating because it experiences a net force acting on it, and also because its velocity is changing. The direction of the satellite's acceleration is not tangential to the circular motion, but rather perpendicular to its velocity/towards the centre of the earth.