Question

Suppose a meteor striking Earth's atmosphere came in with a velocity V and its kinetic energy went into vaporizing the meteor. If the entire meteor were vaporized, at what velocity would its destruction be assured?

Assume that the heat of vaporization of the meteor is that of water, 2257 kJ/kg.

Hint: Equate incoming kinetic energy to the energy needed to vaporize the meteor.

Answer 1