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Scientists estimate that the asteroid that hit the earth was about 10 km in diam

ID: 1961443 • Letter: S

Question

Scientists estimate that the asteroid that hit the earth was about 10 km in diameter and that it would have been traveling at least as fast as 11 km/s . The density of asteroid material is about 3.5 g/cm^3, on the average. I have already found the following answers to be:

Assuming spherical asteroid, m = 1.8 x 10^15 kg
Kinetic energy that would have been delivered to Earth, K = 1.1 X 10^23 J

Now consider the following: the total amount of energy used in one year by the human race is roughly 500 exajoules (1 exajoule = joules). If this rate of energy use remained constant, how many years would it take the human species to use an amount of energy equal to the amount delivered by this asteroid?

Explanation / Answer

1.1 X 10^23 J delivered
for 500exaJ ---> 1year
for 1.1 X 10^23 J ---> 1.1 X 10^23 J/500*1018J

---> 220 years

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