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 1.1 ×1013 kg hits the earth (6.0×1024 kg) with an impact speed of 4.5 ×104 m/s.

a. What is the earth’s recoil speed after such a collision? (Use a reference frame in which the earth was initially at rest.)

b. What percentage is this of the earth’s speed around the sun? The earth orbits the sun at a distance of 1.5×1011 m.

Answer 1

a) By conservation J momentum MAVA TME VE = (MATME)V (1.1X10'3) (4:5X104)+(6x102400 = (1.1x10'3+ 6X1024) V V=72.25*10-8 mals 6) speed of earth Around bun is W- 2010 - 2018(1.5x60") - 29865-3 m/s T 365.25 x 24 xboxto Therefore Rotto of Recoll speed to orbital speed 8.25X1058 x 100 = 2.7624 X10101%. 29865.3