Fuel was consumed at a steady rate of 5.0 x 10-2kg per second in a rocket engine and ejected as a gas with a speed of 4 x 103ms-1. Determine the thrust on t...
Fuel was consumed at a steady rate of 5.0 x 10-2kg per second in a rocket engine and ejected as a gas with a speed of 4 x 103ms-1. Determine the thrust on the rocket
Answer Details
The thrust on the rocket is given by the equation:
T = (dm/dt) * v
where dm/dt is the rate of change of mass (i.e., the rate at which fuel is being consumed), and v is the velocity of the ejected gas.
Substituting the given values, we get:
T = (5.0 x 10^-2 kg/s) * (4 x 10^3 m/s)
T = 200 N
Therefore, the thrust on the rocket is 200 N.
This means that for every second that the rocket engine is running, it is producing a force of 200 N that propels the rocket forward. The force is created by the reaction of the ejected gas pushing against the rocket, in accordance with Newton's Third Law of Motion.