Question

A spherical asteroid with radius r = 123 m and mass M= 2.25×1010kg rotates about an axis at four revolutions per day. A "tug" spaceship attaches itself to the asteroid's south pole (as defined by the axis of rotation) and fires its engine, applying a force Ftangentially to the asteroid's surface as shown in the figure. If F = 285 N, how long will it take the tug to rotate the asteroid's axis of rotation through an angle of 5.0∘ by this method?

My main question is that, is Lx Lcos(theta) or Lsin(theta), how do we determine it?

Answer 1