The motion of a very massive object can be minimally affected by what would seem
ID: 1277926 • Letter: T
Question
The motion of a very massive object can be minimally affected by what would seem to be a substantial force. Consider a supertanker, with a mass of 3.0x10^8kg . Suppose you strapped two jet engines (thrust force of a small jet engine is 50,000 N ) onto the sides of the tanker.
Ignoring the drag of the water (which, in reality, is not a very good approximation), how long will it take the tanker, starting from rest, to reach a typical cruising speed of 6.0 m/s?
t=___h
Express your answer to two significant figures.
Explanation / Answer
apply F = ma
a = 50000/3e8
a = 1.67e-4 m/s^2
a= V/t
t = 6/1.67e-4
t = 3.59*10^4 secs = 35928.143 secs
t = 9.98 hrs