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 9.0 km and a mass of 1.0×1015 kg hits the earth with an impact speed of 4.5×104 m/s . What is the earth's recoil speed after such a collision? Assume that the mass of the earth is 5.981024 kg. (Use a reference frame in which the earth was initially at rest.) 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 1.51011 m.

Explanation / Answer

by conservation of momentum .... initial momentum = final momentum

(1015)(45000) = (5.98* 1024)(Vrecoil) then Vrecoil = (7.52) * 10-6 m/s.

earth circumference = (2)(3.14)(1.5 * 1011) m = 9.42 * 1011 m

time period = 24 hours = 24 * 3600 = 86400 second

velocity of earth = (9.42*1011 ) / 86400 = 1.06 * 107 m/s

please rate

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse M
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.