In the film Mission to Mars (released in 2000), the spacecraft (see the figure b

Question

In the film Mission to Mars (released in 2000), the spacecraft (see the figure below) features a rotating section to provide artificial gravity for the long voyage. A physicist viewing a scene from the interior of the spacecraft notices that the diameter of the rotating portion of the ship is about five times the height of an astronaut walking in that section (or about 10 m). Later, in a scene showing the spacecraft from the exterior, she notices that the living quarters of the ship rotate with a period of about 30 s.

Did the movie get the physics right?

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Compare the centripetal acceleration of a 1.9-m-tall astronaut at his feet to that at his head.

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Compare these accelerations to g.

=

pls Im doing some pratice for my exam, show work thank you

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Explanation / Answer

Movie got the physics wrong. Because rotation period should be chosen such that acceleration of g is created inside the space craft. But the centripetal acceleration in the air craft is so small

Centripetal acceleration= w2*r =4*pi2*r/T2 ; T- time period;   w-angular velocity

For feet, r-radius of the rotational part of the space craft= 10/2=5m

centripetal acceleration of feet= 4*pi2*5/302 = 0.219 ms-2

r for head= 5+1.9= 6.9m

centripetal acceleration of head=4*pi2*6.9/302 = 0.0.303 ms-2

centripetal acceleration of feet compared to g= 0.219/9.8=0.022

centripetal acceleration of head compared to g= 0.303/9.8=0.031

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