10/26/10

Post date: Oct 27, 2010 8:46:44 PM

BR: Using what you know about momentum, explain how rockets initially shoot upward, as well as how they make adjustments to their heading while in space.

• • Building rockets tomorrow (sorry for the delay)

  • Extra credit Meteor problem (due tomorrow)

  • NASA has discovered a meteor headed for Earth. Bruce Willis is busy, so you'll have to take care of this one. Use what you know about momentum to device a method to cause it to miss Earth (nukes won't work, it's too big. You'll have to push it out of the way). Be specific on the numbers involved, and for each number you get, discuss its plausibility.

  • Mass of meteor = 4.55 x 10 ^ 12 kg

  • Current speed = 350 miles per second

  • Distance from Earth (when you reach it) = 350,000 miles

  • Sideways distance needed to miss Earth = 15,000 miles

  • Momentum review problems

  • Page 193, problems 1-6, 10, 16, 17, 21, 31