High School

A rocket with an initial mass of 6000 kg ejects mass at a constant rate of 16 kg/s with a constant relative speed of 11 km/s. What is the acceleration of the rocket a minute after the blast?

A. 28.7 m/s²
B. 34.9 m/s²
C. 39.4 m/s²
D. 27.8 m/s²

Answer :

Final answer:

The acceleration of a 6000-kg rocket ejecting mass at 16 kg/s with a relative speed of 11 km/s, a minute after the blast, is b. 34.9 m/s².

Explanation:

The question asks what the acceleration of a rocket with an initial mass of 6000 kg is when it ejects mass at a constant rate of 16 kg/s with a constant relative speed of 11 km/s (which is converted to 11000 m/s), one minute after the blast.

To find the acceleration of the rocket a minute after the blast, we can use the following information:

  • Initial mass, m0: 6000 kg
  • Mass ejection rate, b: 16 kg/s
  • Exhaust velocity, ve: 11000 m/s
  • Time, t: 60 seconds

After one minute, the mass of the rocket will be:

m = m0 - bt = 6000 kg - 16 kg/s*60 s

m = 6000 kg - 960 kg

m = 5040 kg

The rocket's thrust (T) can be calculated by:

T = b* ve

T = 16 kg/s* 11000 m/s

T = 176000 N (Newtons)

According to Newton's second law, the acceleration (a) is:


T = m* a

So,
a = T / m

a = 176000 N / 5040 kg

a = 34.9 m/s2

The acceleration of the rocket a minute after the blast is 34.9 m/s

2, which corresponds to option b.

Other Questions