Answer to Question #22474 in Mechanics | Relativity for Ahsan Raja

Question

the gravitation force acting on satellite is always directed towards center of earth does this force exert torque on satellite

Answer 1

Since the gravitational force is always directed radially through the center of mass, the gravitational force can exert no torque on either body. Thus angular momentum is conserved. This means that the angular momentum of the orbiting object will always have the same value at any point in its orbit.