Most geologists believe that the dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago w

Question

Most geologists believe that the dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago when a large comet or asteroid struck the earth, throwing up so much dust that the sun was blocked out for a period of many months Suppose an asteroid with a diameter of 2.0 km and a mass of 1.0 times 10^13 kg hits the earth with an impact speed of 4.5 times10^4 m/s. What is the earth's recoil speed after such a collision? Assume that the mass of the earth is 5.98 middot 10^24 kg (Use a reference frame in which the earth was initially at rest) Express your answer to two significant figures and include the appropriate units. What percentage is this of the earth's speed around the sun? Assume that the orbit of the earth is a circle with the radius of 1.5 - 10^11 m Express your answer using two significant figures.

Explanation / Answer

A) using law of conservation of momentum

0 = (m1*u1) + (m2*u2)

0 = (1*10^13*4.5*10^4) + (5.98*10^24*u2)

earth's recoil speed is u2 = -7.52 m/s = -7.52*10^-3 km/sec

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earth revolves around the Sun at a speed 30 km/sec

So required percentage is (7.52*10^-3)*100/(30) = 0.025 %

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