An astronaut in a space station orbiting the Earth floats around inside the spac

Question

An astronaut in a space station orbiting the Earth floats around inside the space station, neither moving towards the floor or the ceiling. This is because

A. the astronaut has no weight so far from the Earth.

B. there is no way to create a normal force between the astronaut and the floor of the space station.

C. the difference in weight between the astronaut and the space station creates a different centripetal acceleration on the astronaut compared to the space station.

D. nothing has weight while in circular motion because the centripetal force takes its place.

E. the astronaut is in the same orbit as the space station, so they move together

Explanation / Answer

A) is wrong because there is weight of the astronaut.

B) is true as the weight of the astronaut is balanced by centrifugal force hence he will not move towards floor or the ceiling.

C) acceleration does not depend on mass.

D) its wrong. Weight is always there.

E) is true but not the correct explanation.

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