Question

Assertion (A): Inside a satellite orbiting very close to the earth's surface, water does not fall out of a glass when it is inverted. Reason (R): The reaction force of glass on the water balances Earth's gravitational force on the water.

• A. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
• B. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
• C. A is true but R is false.
• D. A is false but R is true.

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

A is true but R is false.

Answer 2

Assertion (A) is true. A satellite in orbit is in a state of continuous free fall around the Earth. This means all objects inside the satellite, including the water and the glass, are accelerating towards the Earth at the same rate. This condition leads to apparent weightlessness, where objects do not exert significant force on each other or their containers. Consequently, water does not fall out of an inverted glass.

Reason (R) is false. In a state of free fall, the gravitational force on the water is the net force causing it to accelerate along with the glass. There is no upward reaction force from the glass balancing Earth's gravitational force on the water. If there were, the water would not accelerate at the same rate as the glass, and it would indeed fall out. The absence of a significant reaction force is precisely why the water stays in the glass.