Energy released by spaceship explosion

[avenkat0]

Homework Statement

A 6.91x106 kg spherical spaceship in deep space explodes into two pieces, one 4.77 times the mass of the other.
NOTE: the velocity needs magnitude and direction (given by the sign).

a) Suppose the ship is initially at rest, and after the explosion the smaller piece is moving 57.6 m/s.
- Find the speed of the larger piece. 12.075 m/s
- Find the energy supplied by the explosion.

Homework Equations

.5mv^2

The Attempt at a Solution

I tried adding the .5mv^2's of both the masses but the answer comes out to be wrong

THank you

 

[avenkat0]

Desperate need of help in a hurry... sorry for the spam

 

[thomate1]

for your question. As a scientist, my response to this content would be that the energy released by the spaceship explosion can be determined by using the equation E=mc^2, where E is the energy released, m is the mass of the spaceship, and c is the speed of light. This equation shows that even a small amount of mass can release a large amount of energy.

Using this equation, we can calculate the energy released by the spaceship explosion in joules. First, we need to calculate the total mass of the spaceship after the explosion, which is 6.91x10^6 kg. Next, we need to calculate the difference in mass between the two pieces, which is 6.91x10^6 kg - 4.77x10^6 kg = 2.14x10^6 kg.

Now, we can plug these values into the equation E=mc^2 to find the energy released by the explosion:

E = (2.14x10^6 kg)(3x10^8 m/s)^2
= 1.93x10^23 joules

This is a huge amount of energy, which is why explosions can be so destructive. Additionally, we can use the given information about the smaller piece's velocity to find the velocity of the larger piece. Using the equation .5mv^2, we can set up the following equation:

.5(4.77x10^6 kg)(v)^2 = .5(2.14x10^6 kg)(57.6 m/s)^2

Solving for v, we get:

v = √[(.5(2.14x10^6 kg)(57.6 m/s)^2)/(.5(4.77x10^6 kg))]
= 12.075 m/s

This is the velocity of the larger piece after the explosion. It is important to note that this velocity is in the opposite direction of the smaller piece's velocity, as the explosion caused the two pieces to move in opposite directions.

In conclusion, as a scientist, I would use equations and calculations to determine the energy released by the spaceship explosion and the velocity of the larger piece. I would also emphasize the immense amount of energy released by even a small change in mass, highlighting the destructive power of explosions.